


Behind Enemy Lines

by BrokenQuillZT



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Angst, Criminal Organziation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt, Injury, Major Character Injury, Police, Spectre - Freeform, Undercover, ZPD - Freeform, Zootopia Police Department
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-07-23 01:02:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7460505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenQuillZT/pseuds/BrokenQuillZT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chief Bogo sends Nick undercover on a high risk under-the-table operation to infiltrate one of Zootopia’s most feared criminal organizations.Only the mayor, Bogo, and Nick know about this operation. Everyone else is kept in the dark. Even Judy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, This one is still a sort of work in progress. Not a lot of editing at all done on it, but I hope you guys can understand what I’m trying to get across here. I may or may not stick to a schedule this time around, we’ll see. ^.^

Nick sprinted into the police station, panting harder than he ever had in the academy, his tie thrown together in a half-assed Windsor and his belt hanging haphazardly by a few belt loops of his waist. The morning had been quite the ordeal, one he hoped wouldn’t become a part of his daily schedule. Judy spun around when she heard the doors swing open and smiled, waving at her partner. She seemed to be giggling to herself because of how unruly Nick looked. She bounded towards him to greet him only to be stopped by an all-too-familiar exclamation coming from above them.

“WILDE!!!!” Chief Bogo bellowed from his office on the second floor. Nick and Judy both flinched as they both heard the buffalo’s booming voice. _Great..._ Nick thought. _First my alarm stopped working so I overslept, then I missed the train, I had to run here, spilled my coffee… that poor groundhog…  And now I missed roll call_. At least seeing Judy for the first time today helped alleviate some of that pain. “MY OFFICE, IMMEDIATELY!”

He groaned as he adjusted his belt and passed by Judy on his way toward the stairs.

“I’ll get that jokemobile warmed up for you.” She teased, punching him lightly on the arm.

Nick found it within him to smirk back at Judy and deliver his own snide comment. “At least I won’t have to worry about terrible driving for the next few weeks.”

He climbed up the steps leading up to the second floor, one paw sliding up the railing, and stopped in front of Bogo’s door. _Tap tap_ went his knuckles against the frosted glass, and a growling “Come in” emanated from the door, as though it were automated.

Nick opened the door stepped into Bogo’s office. His desk sat in front of his wide window, like it normally was. As soon as Bogo laid eyes on Nick, he reached back and shut the blinds. “Close the door behind you.”

And so Nick did, the door shutting behind him with a _ka-chunk_. He approached the seat in front of Bogo, arms in a shrug and head tilted. “Go ahead, Chief. Let me at it,” Nick said sarcastically.  “‘Wilde! Your uniform is not up to standard! Why were you missing from roll call this morning? You’re a disgrace to the ZPD! Parking duty for six…’”

“Shut up, Wilde.” Bogo stated, a smirk emerging from his usually stoic lips. “In fact, it was actually a good thing you weren’t at roll call this morning.”

Nick looked up at the Chief rather perplexed. “Sir?”

Bogo slid a bulging file folder on his desk toward Nick. “You’re familiar with Spectre, right?”

Nick huffed a sigh of amusement. “Of course I have, sir. Very prominent in the realm of organized crime. They supposedly do everything from contract killings to mammal trafficking, Dangerous bunch. Even Mr Big himself, in theory, knows to keep his distance. But they’re just an urban legend, sir”

“That’s right, Wilde. A nasty bunch indeed.” Bogo leaned in closer, “But they’re far from an urban legend. You said it yourself, Mr Big knows better than to overstep his boundaries. The reason they’re called Spectre is because every loose end they snip, usually ending up in a little more than a single body. Their business transactions go virtually unnoticed. The only reason why we know they exist is because the bodies they leave behind have a signature on them.” He opened up the file to several gruesome images of too many dead mammals, so graphic that Nick had to look away for a moment. One similarity on all the bodies was a single shaved spot, and in that shaved spot was an insignia of what looked like a snake’s head bearing its fangs menacingly. Some were burned on the flesh, others were crudely carved.”

“Why tell me all this, sir?”

Bogo glared seriously at the officer. “Because everything else we’ve tried against them isn’t working. The mayor gave his green light to apprehend all known members of Spectre, using any means necessary. Alive, only if possible, the leader especially. But we need a man on the inside. Namely, you.”

Nick stared incredulously at Chief Bogo. “Sir! Ah… bu… but why me?”

Bogo sighed and leaned over towards Nick, his eyes darting around the room trying to find the right words. “Because you’re a fox. And despite the work you did with Hopps with the Night Howler case, there are some things you can’t change.  The first thoughts that someone has when they see a fox is sly, clever, and shifty. Many of which are traits that are held in high regard in the criminal world. And your past work experience certainly doesn’t hurt your case any.”

Nick leaned back in the seat, trying to take it all in. “Nicholas, I wouldn’t put this on you if I didn’t think you were ready. You’re a damn good cop, certainly better than I was at your rank. But you’re the best shot we have at taking these guys down.”

Nick sighed, glancing at the door before turning back to face Bogo. “What do you need me to do, Chief?”

Bogo pursed his lips and let out a small smile. “Good to hear you’re on board, Wilde.” He said as he slid over a bulking sealed yellow envelope toward him. “Starting today, you’ll be known as Nathaniel Qrow. Inside this folder you’ll find new identification documents, a key to your new apartment across town, some money, and anything else you might need. Those are citizen’s tax dollars you’re using, Wilde. Spend it wisely.”

Nick nodded. “You got it, sir.”

“I’ll be your handler during this operation. Your mission is to infiltrate Spectre, identify their base of operations, identify the leader, or leaders as well as the top lieutenants, and report to me any additional findings that may be imperative to the mission. And Wilde? This operation is between you, me, and the mayor. No one else can know about it. That includes Hopps.”

Nick opened his mouth to say something but kept his muzzle shut. He hated keeping secrets from Judy, but the cop within him recognized the delicacy of the situation. “Yes, sir.”

“You are to avoid reporting here at all costs. When we need to meet, I’ll call you and arrange a meeting place. I have my phone number saved as “Dad” on your phone, so there shouldn’t be any suspicions when I call. Any questions you’ll have to ask on our next meeting. Are we clear?”

“Crystal, ‘ _Dad_ ’” Nick sneered

Bogo rolled his eyes and sighed. “I expect you to be in your new apartment by tonight. And remember, Wilde…” He glared at Nick with serious conviction. “No. One. Else.”

Nick took the envelope and excused himself from Bogo’s office. He trudged his way down the steps and ran into Judy on the way back. “So. Did Chief Buffalo Butt tear you a new one?”

Nick called upon his old fast-talking skills. “Like you wouldn’t believe. He put me on a special assignment. He’s relocating me to another precinct temporarily to shadow a veteran so I know ‘how to be a real cop.’ You’re not gonna be seeing a lot of me for the next few weeks.”

Judy tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Really? All this because you missed roll call?”

Nick nodded and smirked convincingly. “Yeah. Seems like someone spat in his coffee this morning. Looks like you’re gonna be on your own for the time being, Fluff.”

Judy’s ears lowered in disappointment. “Oh… Well, we’re still on for movie night at your place, right?”

Nick’s heart sunk. He had always set aside thursday afternoons just for the two of them. “Sorry, Carrots, I think I have to cancel this time around. And quite possibly the next coming weeks.”

Judy frowned and looked up at her partner. She’d known him long enough to bore a peep hole in his emotional wall, just enough to know when something was wrong. She reached out to him. “Nick? Are you alright?”

Nick gazed into her eyes. Right now, he wanted to tell Judy everything that had happened in Bogo’s office. About his assignment and the dangers behind it… but he just couldn’t.

“Carrots, I really gotta go…” Nick turned away to the door.

Judy grabbed the sleeve of his shirt to stop him, her eyes pleading with a hint of fear. “Are… are _we_ okay..?”

Nick sighed and knelt down to bring himself eye-level with Judy. “Carrots, we’re fine. It’ll take more than an inconvenient assignment from the Chief to sour what we have.” He leant over and planted a brief kiss on Judy’s forehead, subtle enough to go unnoticed in the station, making her blush and glance off to the side. He took her paw in his. “I’ll be back in a few weeks, don’t worry.”

Judy sighed, still disappointed. “Alright, Nick… Go ahead.”

Nick started to pull away, their paws still touching each other until the last possible minute. Once they were apart, he turned around and took a deep breath. Just as he was about to leave, a horrifying thought occurred to him. Getting in close with a group like Spectre was dangerous, and there was a chance that he wasn’t going to make it out alive. His natural optimism failed him when he assumed the worst. He could die during this assignment and Judy would just keep on waiting until Bogo decides to go public with his death, whether it be the truth or another cover story. And he didn’t even tell her that he loved her. “Carrots!” He spun around to catch the bunny, but neither she nor her trademark black-tipped ears were visible anymore. Sighing defeatedly, he pushed the revolving doors and strolled back down to the train station.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the time being, Nick Wilde doesn’t exist. Nathaniel Qrow starts his new life in the ghettos of Zootopia. A lucky break in the case means that Nick will be able to return faster than even he anticipated. Meanwhile, the lack of her partner is already starting to get to Judy

Nick climbed in through the fire escape of his apartment. Not because he lost his key or anything, but simply because he wanted to put off paying rent for as long as possible. Ever since the whole Night Howler ordeal, he’d gone clean. That meant paying off his taxes, meaning there was barely enough for the basic necessities, and that included rent. He shut the window and made his way over to his desk. Opening the envelope, he poured out its contents over his bed. Inside were the details of his new life as Nathaniel Qrow. New driver’s license, a copy of his “revised criminal record,” a key to an apartment in the Zootopian ghettos, various other identification papers, a photograph of another mammal he had never seen before, a note from Bogo, and a heavy chunk of metal. Nick held it in his paws. It was cold and heavy, meaning it was loaded. It was a small automatic weapon, easily concealable, couldn’t hold more than six rounds with another in the chamber, silver slide. But the size of the firearm didn’t do much to slow Nick’s heart rate. This was the first firearm he’s handled outside the academy. Even with his police issue uniform, he didn’t hold much more than a taser or a tranquilizer gun. He’s handled one before, yes, but only shooting at paper targets, never one that was living and breathing, much less one that fired back. Nick set the gun back down and picked up the note from Bogo.

_Nicholas,_

_Zootopia thanks you in advance for the work you will be doing undercover. You’re doing the city a great service. Along with this note, you will find the details of your life for the next couple of weeks. Commit them to memory, put your con-man acting skills to good use, and live that life as though it was the only one you’ve lived. There will be no communication from any other acquaintances aside from me. When you find something you want to share, raise your blinds halfway at your apartment. Otherwise, keep them fully lowered and closed. You will also find a gun. Mainly for show, hopefully you won’t have to use it. Nevertheless, it’s loaded, and you’ll find a box of spare ammo at the apartment. The debit cards have limited funds on them, so watch your spending. The photo is one of Todd Boko, known Spectre associate. Small time. Approach him, He’s your ticket in. Continue from there._

_Godspeed, Wilde._

_-C.B._

Nick set the note aside and checked the driver’s license. _Name: Qrow, Nathaniel. Address: 3416 Clearwater Lane, Apartment 523. Male, fox, green eyes, 4 ft tall_ … Aside from the name and address, it was almost a perfect replication of Nick’s current license. Then, he took a look at his rap sheet. Tax evasion, multiple counts of petty theft, armed robbery… Nothing involving him taking a life, thank god. Nick figured this was mainly to keep him small enough within Spectre so as to keep him just close enough to get the information he needs. Meaning killing was hopefully out of the question for him. Work: Currently unemployed, Salesman, grifter… along with a list of past employers and jobs. He tossed his old wallet into a drawer next to his badge and picked up the new one, a weathered leather sleeve with about forty five dollars in cash, driver’s license, debit cards, business card to a pub across town along with other miscellaneous receipts and cards that built upon his cover identity.

Nick spent the rest of the morning and afternoon reading and rereading every document Bogo had sent his way. He shook his head and glanced out the window just as the sun was beginning to set. He scooped every paper and prop that he would take into his new life and slid them all back into the manilla folder, except for the wallet and pistol, which he left on the bed. He changed out of his police uniform and into civilian clothing, meaning brown slacks and his favorite green shirt with the floral print, this time without the tie. He threw some extra clean clothes into a duffel bag and slid the folder inside under a pile of underwear. Nick retrieved the wallet and pistol, slipping the wallet into his back pocket and sliding the pistol behind him in his pants waistband and pulled his shirt over it. Before he left, Nick took one last glance of the apartment. Crazy as it sounded, he was actually going to miss the raggedy hole he lived in. With that, he opened the window to the fire escape and climbed down to street level, this time taking a taxi to his UC residence, repeating Nathaniel’s life mentally as he gazed out the window and watched the bright lights turn to dim street posts along the road.

The taxi dropped him off in front of a seven story building that was as beaten and run down as its surroundings. A short staircase led him up to the front door with a flickering light overhead. Along the right adjacent wall stood rows of doorbells. One of which, Nick found his name, right at room 523. Nathaniel Qrow.

He let himself in the main complex using his key and climbed all the way up to the fifth floor. He walked past quite a few noisy neighbors. Some blasting television, some arguing, some… having a much better time than anyone else on the floor…

Nick shook his head and twisted his key into the knob of room 523. It creaked open, shedding some light into the dismal room. It was a little roomier than his apartment, the electricity seemed to run more consistently inside than outside. The roof didn’t leak. Significantly at least. It more closely resembled a hotel room that an apartment. The mattress shared the room with the desk and a hot plate, and a doorway led to a smaller room consisting of a bathtub, sink, and toilet. Another step lower, and he’d be camping in the woods.

Nick plopped his duffel bag down on the bed and sat down in front of the desk. He spread the documents and details on his cover ID on it and read everything over one last time, just to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. If course, Nick would have to use his skills in fast talking and acting in order to fill in the rest. His stomach grumbled within an hour of when he settled down, but he was more tired than hungry after trying to get around his new life. He rubbed his eyes and made his way over to the bed, plopping face first onto the pillow, and cringing as he tried to block out the odor of sweat, blood, and various other bodily fluids that stained the mattress. He spent most of the night trying to drift off to sleep, and only dreaming of Judy helped him soothe his slumber.

*   *   *

The sunlight bled through Nick’s eyelids and forced him out of sleep. He grumbled as he squinted amidst the brightness and sat up in bed. The world outside seemed significantly quieter than his apartment back by downtown Zootopia. Cars seemed to be somewhat of a rarity in this part of town, Nick supposed.

When his feet finally found its way to the floor, he shuffled to the bathroom and turned on the sink. Water collected in his hands before he splashed it over his face and rubbed the water deep into his fur. Glancing up, he found his reflection staring back at him. He smirked, drying off his hands before offering his hand to his reflection. “Hey there. Nathaniel Qrow.” Nick cringed and shook his head. The name needs to be shorter… He offered his hand again, “Nathan Qrow. No… Nate Qrow. That’s worse… Qrow. Nathan Qrow.” He chuckled to himself. “I can make that work.”

His stomach grumbled again, and it occurred to him he hadn’t had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon. A quick time check confirmed that it was already almost 2:00. Much too late for breakfast. He opened his wallet and pulled out the pub business card. It was only a few blocks away, and it had been a while since he’s had a decent bugburger. With that, Nick changed into a black long sleeve button down (keeping the top three buttons undone, of course) and slim fit jeans. He took up the pistol in his paws, staring over it, before sighing and sliding it behind him into his jeans. His feet thudded lightly as he descended the steps. The streets were much more vacant than he was used to, but that just made it easier for Nick to navigate his surroundings. He made it to the pub within five minutes, and the server welcomed him to a seat at the bar.

The pub was almost uninhabited, except for a few other patrons and the workers, so Nick was able to order his bugburger and fries and start to eat it within fifteen minutes of each other. But it wasn’t until Nick was about halfway done with his burger when he saw a familiar face enter the pub. Todd Boko, the same mammal that came with his UC package. He was a hyena a little taller than Nick was. Fur that extended from the top of his head down his back made a sort of mohawk effect. His dirt colored fur blackened out at his muzzle and in spots along his arms and legs that Nick assumed went all around his body. The scrawny predator was dressed in a black t-shirt and hoodie with cargo pants. For the most part, he was certainly trying to dress the part he was trying for. Todd walked right past the server and Nick and sat a few stools down from him. Hm. _Found him already_ Nick noted. _I’ll be out of here in no time._

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard glass shattering next to him. By the time Nick turned his head, Todd was being lifted off the floor by a hulking bear standing next to a burly panther. The nearby server was stooping over, trying to gather up the shards of glass littered on the floor.

“Todd fuckin Boko…” the bear snickered. “Those were our drinks you just spilled, you know.”

“Guess who’s paying for them?” The panther snarled.

Todd groaned. “Yeah… not a big believer in ‘you break it, you buy it.’”

The bear chuckled and let out a slow hiss. “You never change, do you, Boko? Let’s see if you’re a believer in negative reinforcement.” He balled up his paw into a fist and raised it. Todd winced.

“Whoa, now… fellas!” Now Nick made himself known. The trio looked his way, perplexed. “Who the hell are you?” The panther questioned

“My name’s not important right now. What is is what you’re doing. Take a breather and check yourselves.”

“Teaching this fucker a lesson in the value of other people’s property. Keep talking and you might join him.”

“Oh yeah? How do you think Spectre’s gonna feel about you bloodying up the place.”

The bear and the panther both scoffed. “That’s just an urban legend, fox.”

Nick chuckled. “Oh, my Hundred-Acre-Wood campadre… They only play off the urban legend because it’s an easy cover up.” Nick slid off the bar and started to approach the looming predators. He’d approached larger animals like this before, but no matter how often he does it, there’s always a hint of stage fright that materializes deep inside his chest. This time, his life depended on it, so it was significantly larger. _Just keep a steady composure, keep calm_ , he reminded himself.

“See, they’re called Spectre because they operate with virtually no traces, no loose ends. Like ghosts. Meaning they like things tidy. And as it turns out, this here pub is not only well within Spectre territory, but also happens to be one of their main sources of income. And not just because they make a damn good bugburger.” Nick leaned against the bear and looked up at him.  “How do you think they’re gonna react when they come back to a bloody floor, much less a dead body? See, bloody floors and bodies make for police investigations, making this place bad for business, which means that, one way or another, Spectre’s gonna have to clear their names of this place. But not before taking the camera feed. And guess who they’ll find?”

The two predators looked at each other and growled. The bear reluctantly thrust Todd into the bar with a crash and turned out the door, glaring both of them down before storming off.

Nick turned to Todd. “You alright there?”

Todd scoffed. “I could’ve taken them.”

“Yeah, I could tell.”

“...But thanks. How do you know so much about Spectre?”

Nick chuckled. “Spent most of my adult years studying them. Hoping one day I’d join them.”

Todd snickered. “Well, I hate to admit it, but you did do me a solid with the two behemoths that were here earlier. Technically, no one else is supposed to know I’m with Spectre, but… I’ll consider putting in a good word for you. How’s that sound?”

Well, that was easy. “I guess having a reference won’t hurt my chances.”

“Great!” Todd proclaimed, holding out his paw. “Todd Boko. Mr…?”

Nick couldn’t help but let out a hearty chuckle. “Qrow. Nathan Qrow. That’s with a Q, mind you.”

The corner of Todd’s mouth elevated. “Something funny, Qrow, Nathan Qrow with a Q?”

“Nah.” Nick shook his head. “It’s just I met a close buddy of mine with more or less the same exchange.” Nick thought.

“Must be someone special.” Todd teased.

“Something like that…” Nick trailed off.

Nick reached into his wallet and slapped a twenty on the counter next to his empty plate. “C’mon, Boko. We got business to discuss.”

*   *   *

Nick was hiding something from her.

If she hadn’t suspected anything before, she sure did now. Nick told Judy he’d be away shadowing a veteran in another precinct, but that doesn’t explain why Nick wouldn’t answer his phone. Judy checked her phone one more time, and it was all the same for her text messages. All sent, none of them read, when usually he’d reply within five minutes, even in the dead of night.

At first she figured Nick was too busy to reply, but that proved to be less and less likely after he didn’t respond for the first few days. When she tried calling him, it went straight to voicemail. He had completely cut her off, and by the end of the first week, she was starting worry. By the second week, her fears started to interfere with her work. She was distracted, for the most part. A part of her suspected that this was Bogo’s way of evaluating how Nick and she would work without each other. Once she got that idea in her head, she tried harder than ever to excel in the police station, but that didn’t help with the quietness in their shared cubicle or the only noise occurring during patrol being the roar of the engine or the radio. _Dammit, hurry back already, you dumb fox_ , she thought, taking a break from writing reports by scrolling through the camera roll on her phone, which, unsurprisingly, was filled with pictures of the two of them. _Or at least reply. I miss you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is becoming more and more fun to write, but I still wish I had the motivation to edit a little more. I definitely wish I could've thought of more to add to Judy's side of the story.
> 
> In other news, WHY ARE ROMANTIC SUBPLOTS SO DIFFICULT TO WRITE?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick’s undercover operation is met with a prolonged period of stasis, meaning he won’t have a lot to show for his first meeting with Bogo. Meanwhile, Judy’s career takes an unexpected a new turn.

Nick had been undercover for several weeks now. Nearly every day after the incident, he visited the pub, but Todd would never show up. He’d caught a lucky break the first day when he ran into Todd. He couldn’t expect every day to progress as quickly as the first.

He was trapped in another mundane procedure. Wake up, get dressed, peruse the streets for any gang-related activity keeping a close eye on Spectre, stop at some place to eat, head back, and pop back into his apartment and sleep until the following day. Where the cycle would repeat.

Two weeks into his cover, “Dad” texted Nick, saying that the two needed to meet up the next morning, at a cafe a few blocks away from Nick’s UC apartment. Nick scribbled what he learned about Spectre on a napkin for Chinese takeout and stuffed it into his wallet. The cafe was busy, but it was hard to miss the bulky buffalo sitting at a booth away from the windows and close to a fire exit, checking out the stocks in the Zootopia Herald. Seeing Bogo in civilian attire actually caught him off guard, as the police chief uniform was all he ever saw him wear. Now Bogo wore red sweatpants and a stained white undershirt. Nick ordered a regular coffee and a blueberry scone, then went over to Bogo’s table.

“Is this seat taken?” Nick inquired, gesturing to the seat in front of Bogo.

Bogo glanced up from his newspaper and grunted. “Not at all. Go ahead.”

Nick sat down in the booth diagonally, one arm resting on top of the backrest and his other paw resting on his coffee. “You know, the digital age is upon us. No one’s reading newspapers anymore.”

“Wilde, we’re both risking a lot with every meeting we attend, so it’s best if we keep these short. Do you have something or not?” His eyes remained fixated on the stock market.

Reaching into his pocket, he removed the napkin with all his notes and used it to handle the pastry. “Blueberry scone?” Nick offered, subtly folding the napkin over to reveal some writing when Bogo glanced over, disappointed in the meagerness of Nick’s information. “That’s everything I know.”

Bogo took the napkin-wrapped pastry and finished it in a few bites, stuffing the napkin in his pocket. Nick’s eyes were pleading at the chief. He had so many questions about how things were back home, especially about Judy.

“How’s Judy doing?”

Bogo flipped the page of his newspaper. “Hopps is doing just fine on her own, but she misses you, if that’s what you want to hear.”

Nick shrugged his shoulders and held his arms in a “what?” position. “That’s all I get? Just a vague picture, no details?”

“Wilde, this may come as a shock to you but I do not keep up with every detail of every officer’s life. And if I pay more attention to her, she’ll take notice.”

“Well, can you get a message to her for me?”

“Absolutely not, Wilde.” He folded up his newspaper under his arm and got up from the booth. “Everything about this operation stays between you, me, and the mayor.”

Nick sighed out of frustration as Bogo exited the cafe, leaving him alone in his booth. He looked at his coffee cup and swirled it around. There was no way he could communicate with Judy without compromising the whole operation. Besides, no one else but Chief Bogo knew he was undercover. The best chance at bringing down Spectre rested on his shoulders and his alone.

Two weeks turned into five, then seven, then Nick just stopped keeping count. He had only seen Todd a few times since the incident, and honestly it felt like he wasn’t making any progress. The past few conversations with Todd rarely had anything to do with Spectre, only stories on their past exploits, recent sports events, or which vixen was “bangable” at the bar. Todd seemed to think that “Nathan” was his new buddy. For the sake of the operation, Nick went along with it, but the slow progress made him frustrated.

Then, after almost a month and a half undercover, Todd texted him late at night. “Snarl-Mart, over by Prairie Avenue, the abandoned one. I told them about you and they looked you up. They want to meet you.”

Nick sighed, relieved that he was finally making headway in the operation. He replied with a simple “OK” before turning over in his sleep.

It was only a matter of time before he could see Judy again.

*   *   *

“Alright, settle down!” Bogo hollered above the commotion that was the morning bullpen. The officers finally quieted down and sat in their seats. Except for Judy, that is, who stood in her seat to see the chief, perked her ears up attentively. She stood halfway on the seat, leaving half of her shared seat open in case Nick just came back into the station one day. But today, like every other day she’s waited, Nick’s side of the chair remained empty.

“Assignments…” Bogo continued, stopping when he felt his phone vibrate, checking it quickly. It was from Nick. “They want to meet. Status TBA” Was all it said. Bogo pocketed his phone before turning back to his officers. “Change of plans. Francine, Rainforest District patrol. McHorn, Higgins, Sahara square. Fangmeyer, Wolfard, Rhinowitz, Hopps,  SWAT Reevaluation…

Judy looked confused. SWAT? She’d never been put on SWAT before, not did she have any intention of going…

Bogo finished handing out the other assignments. “Dismissed!” He shouted as he turned to leave.

Judy quickly caught up with Bogo. “Sir?”

“Yes, what is it, Hopps?” Bogo replied, without stopping or looking back.

“Why did you put me on SWAT, sir?”

“There’s no actual operation yet, Hopps. It’s just a reevaluation course of the fundamentals.”

“Sir, I…”

“And I saw your record from your days at the academy. Your near perfect marksmanship certainly didn’t hinder your acquisition of valedictorian, did it? And any decent SWAT team needs reliable overwatch.”

“You… want me behind the scope?”

“I want you well versed in SWAT protocol. But if I had to choose someone to go behind the scope, it’d be you.”

“Understood.” Judy acknowledged. “But sir, you said there’s no operation yet. Does that mean there’s going to be one soon?”

“That’s enough questions, Hopps.” Bogo demanded. “Your fellow officers are waiting on you.”

And with that, Bogo stomped into his office and slammed the door, leaving Judy standing alone outside, a skeptical look on her face. He knows something. Judy thought. Something he doesn’t want me to know…

“Hopps!” Rhinowitz called. “Get over here now! We’re waiting on you!”

Judy snapped back to reality and bounded toward the rest of the team. Whatever Bogo was hiding, Judy could figure it out in her own time.

*   *   *

Nick arrived at Todd’s arranged meeting place around 9:00, and for the next few hours, the abandoned Snarl-Mart remained just that -- abandoned. Nick had been seated on the curb amongst the rusted carts and grass peeking through cracks in the concrete, playing on his phone since fifteen minutes after he arrived and the battery reached critical just as the clock struck 11:00, and at that point, he was ready to convince himself that Todd was screwing with him. He sighed and got to his feet and started out of the parking lot, but just then, he felt something clock against the back of his head. He found himself stunned, but just not enough to knock him out. Then, he saw a small metal cage attached to three leather straps. Nick’s eyes widened and he tried to scramble to his feet, but his arms and legs were pinned against the pavement. He tried to scream for help, but the restraint had already founds its way around his muzzle.

“N-no!!” He muffled against the gag and struggled against his assailants, but they had him pinned down hard. Nick’s repressed memories from his Junior Ranger Scout initiation flooded back through him. His heart raced and he found himself breathing harder and harder against the gag, and suddenly he couldn’t breathe anymore. His chest heaved, but he couldn’t get air in. Panic began to set in his mind when he felt a sharp prick against his neck. Nick felt his limbs become heavier and heavier, and his vision blurred. Nick’s body slumped over the concrete, unconscious, his ears focusing one one last line of dialogue.

_Get him in the van._

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick finds himself face-to-face with Spectre’s ringleader and is nearly pushed to his emotional and moral limits as he gets a first hand account of some of their streams of revenue.

“Nick?” A familiar voice asked as he felt himself being nudged awake. Nick mumbled sleepily before waking up with a start, his chest pounding as he looked around his surroundings. He was back at the ZPD, back in his cubicle, and it looked like a pretty normal day. He slowly turned his head, sighing in relief when he saw Judy’s face, gorgeous amethyst eyes and all.

“Carrots…” Nick sighed, relieved.

“Nick, are you alright? You looked like you were having a nightmare.”

Nick cleared his throat. “Yeah, Carrots. Everything’s fine.”

Judy sighed, gingerly touching his cheek. “Alright, tough guy. I know you hate sharing your feelings, and we’re behind on work as it is. So just know, whenever you need someone, let me be your first call.”

Nick couldn’t speak, so all he could let out was a simple “Mmm hmm.” as he leaned back in his office chair, stretching

Judy smiled wide. “I love you, dumb fox”

Nick couldn’t help but chuckle. Dammit, he wanted to be the first one to say it. But he supposed it didn’t matter now.

Nick noticed her lean in closer, her ears laying flat against her back. He stood frozen as Judy’s eyes slowly closed and her mouth opened. Sure, they had kissed at work before, but it was always Nick who initiated, and it was always short and subtle, so no one would take notice. But now, Judy was the one initiating, the one who had always emphasized the secrecy of their relationship at work, as fraternization in the workplace was presumably frowned upon. And from the looks of things, this kiss she was going for wasn’t going to end for some time. Nick gave in to his desires and slowed his breathing and closed his own eyes, leaning in his lips against hers. For a while, in a world of chaos and destruction, everything was perfect, and no one existed in it except for them two. And because of that, nothing else mattered…

*  *   *

Nick felt a bag being ripped from over his head, and with it came a bright light shining on his face. He was zip-tied to a chair, and the muzzle still tightened on his face. Around him were many other mammals, including a jackal, swollen scars sealing his left eye, and a triangular divot missing from his right ear. He sat opposite of Nick, his digits interlaced on the table in front of him. Beside him was Todd, paws held behind his back, smiling wide. Behind him were two other predators, a lynx and a grey wolf, both sporting submachine guns strapped around their necks.

“So you’re Nathan Qrow,” The jackal said in a low growl. “Todd here’s talked a lot about you. Said you expressed interest in joining us.”

Todd nodded enthusiastically. “That’s right boss. I think he’d be a great asset to…”

Without warning, the jackal drew a large magnum revolver from his suit jacket and shot Todd right in the side of the head. Todd’s face was torn in half, his blood and brains spreading on the floor. Nick’ expression remained stony out of pure shock and fear as his heart started beating faster out of stress. And the muzzle around his face certainly wasn’t helping any.

The jackal nonchalantly wiped the blood from the barrel of his gun and set it down on the table. “Unfortunately, Todd here forgot that the main point of being a part of Spectre: secrecy. The fact that he told you about us shows that he was incapable of being a part of this. Can’t have mammals like him on the streets running their mouth. It’d be bad for business, you know?”

He turned back to the two henchmen and pointed to the body “Clean this up, melt the body in a bathtub of acid, get rid of it. The usual.”

The two predators nodded and each took one of Todd’s arm and carried him out of the room. Nick looked to the predators then back to the jackal, who smirked.

“Hm. You’re not off to a bad start, Mr Qrow. I just murdered someone right in front of you and you didn’t even bat an eye.”

What the jackal mistook for nerves of steel was actually trauma-induced paralysis. But Nick felt no need to correct him.

The jackal made his way around to Nick and placed his hands on his face. Nick flinched, and the jackal laugh. “Relax, my friend. You’ve yet to give me a reason to kill you.” He slid the muzzle off of Nick. “That’s better, isn’t it?”

Nick snapped his mind back to his cover and nodded, wiping his muzzle on his shoulder. “Yeah. Thanks, I guess.”

He tossed the muzzle to his other paw. “I always hated these myself.” he muttered before tossing it on the table and sitting back in his original seat. “You can call me Mr. Cronus. Here’s how this is going to work. I ask you some questions. Based on your answers, I decide whether or not you’ll spend your days among us or among the dead. Think of it as the job interview of your life. Are we clear?”

Nick mentally swallowed nervously but nodded convincingly. “Crystal.”

“Splendid. Let’s get the simplest out of the way. I skimmed over your work history. Nothing stood out to me. But maybe you’ll be able to elaborate on the details. Tell me, how did you start? And please be fast, I’m a very busy mammal, and I do enjoy being timely.”

Nick shrugged as calmly as I could. They say the more truth that’s built into a lie, the more convincing it will sound. And since Nick’s cover was based loosely on his past life as a small-time hustler, it was best to go along with the story he knew best. “I was young.” Nick started, shrugging his shoulders slightly. “My dad left me when I was three only to get back in touch with me 25 years later. To this day, we rarely talk. My mom was in the hospital when I hit my twelfth birthday. I was far too young to do any legitimate work, so mostly I did cons. Shifty lowlife fox like me, it all felt natural. Before long, I was making 200-500 bucks a day, give or take, and that’s how I provided for my mother and for myself after she passed up to a few years ago.”

“Well, you were quite the businessman, Mr Qrow. What made that end?”

Something about Mr Cronus caught Nick’s eye. More specifically, something around his neck. The chain reached down low enough so most of the pendant was covered by his unbuttoned shirt, but Nick could make out the distinct glistening of a diamond. Nick was about to take a risk.

“Well, I met a girl.” Nick replied.

“That’s always the case, isn’t it?”

“No, I didn’t go straight because of this girl. Quite the opposite. Simply put, she was a damn good thief. That, paired with my fast talking skills, made us a good team. And for a long while, we were happy together. Y’know, in a “Bunny and Clyde” sort of deal.”

“Heartwarming, but that doesn’t answer my question.”

“Right. Before, we stuck with average citizens. Mammals that others normally wouldn’t look twice at on the streets. But we got greedy. I came up with a plan to steal some kind of antique dragon mask that belonged to this collector. Lined with gold, studded with some of the rarest of gemstones all along the surface. Real expensive stuff. Plan was, I get myself invited in as a city-mandated building inspector, case the joint, make note of every piece of security I came across, then I’d help out my girl in the actual acquisition of the mask. It was supposed to go smoothly…” Nick paused to clear a catch in his throat. “If I hadn’t missed that pressure sensor on the podium.”

Mr Cronus instinctively clutched at the wedding ring around his neck. It was working. He found some common ground with him. All he had to do was sell it.

Nick took a deep, shaky breath and let the crocodile tears roll off his cheeks. “Well…” He began, sniffing a little. She tripped the pressure sensor, and a cage came down from the ceiling and trapped her inside. I tried my damndest to get her out, but dammit! I was TOO DAMN WEAK!” He pounded the arm of the chair, restrained by the zip ties, and stared down at the table for a moment, panting hard, paws clenched into fists. Then he brought his head down to his bound hand and wiped away his tears before continuing. “She already knew she wasn’t going to make it out of there with me. She thrust the mask in my paws and told me to run. I stayed a little while longer and tried to break her out, but to no avail. Then, when the tires screeched outside and guns were cocking, I said what turned out to be my last goodbye and slipped out the back door. Few months later, the news had a story about a frozen fox body being found off a highway in Tundratown.”

He sniffled loudly and brought his head down to his arm again to wipe his eyes again. “She had kits. Not mine, but still far too young to fend for themselves, and hopefully young enough not to remember anything. Had to give them up for adoption, but I kept following the paper trail from the orphanage so I knew where each of them lived. I made two promises to myself that day. One: I would anonymously send a majority of what money I made to care for the kits she left behind. And two, I’d build myself up to be stronger than ever, so I could fix my mistakes. So I could be more careful. So that no one else would die because I was too careless or too weak.”

Mr Cronus simply nodded. “Thank you for sharing, Nathaniel. There’s nothing that drives a mammal to be his best than burning passion.” He touched the ring around his neck. “I know where you come from.”

He continued. “You’re a careful mammal, Mr Qrow. Doing cons since you were twelve and never getting caught. Even your gun…” He reached under the table and placed it on the counter. “Serial number’s filed off. There’s almost no way of tracing this weapon.” He stood up again and approached Nick, knife in hand, and cut the restraints from Nick’s wrists. “You’d be a great asset to our cause. But why such a small pistol?”

“It’s not the size, it’s how you use it.” Nick said with a slight smirk

Mr Cronus snickered. “And up against body armor?”

“Every armor has chinks.” Nick replied, shrugging.

Mr Cronus burst out laughing. “Mr Qrow, you keep finding ways to make me like you! I have to go for the moment, but take a look around the facility. Look at the operation we’re running here.”

“Thanks, Mr Cronus. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Mr Cronus left the room as Nick gathered his pistol, cell phone, and wallet from the table. Nick had accomplished most of the things on Bogo’s list for his undercover work. Now all he had to do was identify any more key players on Spectre’s pecking order and figure out exactly where he was. Well, the latter proved to be not much of a challenge. Even though Spectre had gone through great measures to ensure Nick had no idea where he was, their efforts fell for naught with Nick, a mammal who not only knew everyone (Except, apparently, brotherhoods that liked to stay under the radar), but also knew every place in Zootopia . Quick glances out of two or three windows later, and Nick knew where he was. Tall office-like building next to several warehouses connected with catwalks over by the docks. He had passed by it numerous times, but never paid much thought to it, except for one building in particular. It had been his childhood dream to open up an amusement park nearby that location. In fact, he could see the location he scoped out for it. Unfortunately, someone else beat him to the punch, and now it stood to be demolished and replaced with a strip mall.

Nick casually strolled around their facility. Directly outside the room he was in was a hallway, with doors leading to many other rooms in the wing. He steadily approached the exit, looking only in the doors that were already opened. One door he passed just had a group of mammals seated in front of a television playing a heated game of Supreme Strike Mammals, another seemed to house a debate between two mammals about whether or not a body melts faster in hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid. Nothing outright illegal from the rooms that Nick passed.

Nick made his way down a floor, stepping aside for a well-built bobcat to pass on the opposite side of the stairwell. The bobcat growled and shot a dirty look at Nick before continuing on his way. The door leading to the catwalk that led to one of the warehouses stood on the opposite side of the hallway, so Nick casually walked in that direction. Not two doors down the hallway, he heard whimpering coming from one of the rooms.

His hearing led him to a large steel door with a sliding panel to see into the room. Nick stood on his tiptoes and slid the panel to the side to peek into the room. Immediately his snout was assaulted with the foul odor of sweat, musk, and really bad fish. The crying and whimpering grew louder as it transitioned to one of sorrow to one of fear and intensified when Nick slid the panel aside. his eyes confirmed what his nose and ears sensed.

Inside the room was a single flickering lightbulb that barely let off any light. But the lightbulb was more than enough to reveal what was inside the room. Several mammals, all female, at least twenty of them in that room alone. Nick could see a wolfess, tigress, and even a vixen, as the rest were hidden in the shadows. All of them were clad in either rags, lingerie, or nothing at all. Nick didn’t have to think too hard to imagine what purpose they served in Spectre.

Nick slid the panel closed and backed away from the door. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips, sighing angrily. _Be patient, Nick_. He told himself. _They’ll get their just reward soon enough_. He started walking again down the corridor, faster this time. He glanced at some of the doors and saw most of them had signs on them, saying either “to keep” or “to ship.” He nearly broke into a run when he reached the last few doors on the end of the hallway. His ears flattened against the back of his head when he heard muffled, yet unmistakable, sound of crying, slapping, moaning, and creaking bed springs.

He swung the door open to the catwalk and slammed it behind him, leaning against it. He was seething. He wanted to scream. He wanted to hit something. He wanted to put one between Mr Cronus’s eyes. A sickening feeling in his stomach wanted to reject the empty contents of his stomach. It took him a good several minutes to regain his composure. He sighed deeply and headed across the catwalk, paws clenched into fists. The walk over was therapeutic for him. The sun was shining, a light breeze came in from the water… it all helped to calm him down. He felt much better when he reached the other end of the catwalk and swung the door open.

This time, the scent of chemicals assaulted Nick’s muzzle, and he let out a cough as he made his way inside. Inside he saw one wall lined with plastic-wrapped white bricks. Another wall was lined with tables with clear medical bottles and clean syringes atop them. In the middle of the room was a table with three mammals conversing amongst each other. One turned to look at Nick when he came in. “Hey, New Blood.” The bobcat commented. “Giving yourself the grand tour?”

“Yeah. I guess news travels fast here.” Nick simply replied.

“Communication helps in our line of work.” the bobcat gruffed. “Just keep out of the way of the workers, and keep your paws to yourself. Nothing goes in your pockets, nothing goes out. You get caught, you bathe in acid tonight.”

Nick nodded and turned to the door just to the right of him. Great big lights shone down from the ceiling as Nick stood from one of the above walkways and looked down. The main warehouse floor was divided into several different sections. It was hard to tell from how high up he was, but it seemed that each section housed several mammals, each taking part in the packaging for the drug assigned to their section. The sections in the back were in charge of the actual production of the drugs, as they were separated from the packaging area with a plastic veil and were kept nearby the air vents. Nick took a closer look at the workers. None of them looked like other Spectre members. They looked more like… drug addicts.

“An elegant operation, isn’t it?” Mr Cronus muttered behind Nick.

Nick gasped and spun around, surprised, before nodding. “Very efficient, I can see.”

Cronus smiled grimly and nodded. “That it is. The workers down there? They’re druggies. Right off the streets. Hooked on the drugs I’m having them make and package. They don’t care about money or benefits. Just the next hit. Meaning all the revenue goes back to me” He snickered. “And the best part is, if they become foolish enough to rebel, I can just kill them and take in another off the streets. Even if they die right there on the factory floor.”

Nick’s blood began to boil. First, the hallway before the warehouse filled with women, and now this? It was clear that this mammal had a blatant disregard for life. It goes against everything his mother taught him as a kit as well as the true meaning of being an officer of the ZPD. That same philosophy that was hammered into his mind at the academy.

“Why so silent, Mr Qrow?” Cronus asked him.

Nick forced a smile. “I’m just… impressed with how fluid you make your operations. True genius.” Nick bit his tongue after he said it. Praising scum like this felt like having toothpicks hammered between the tip of his digit and his claw

Cronus laughed. “I’m glad you think so. Anyway, I have a proposition for you. With Boko... disposed of, I need someone to take his place.”

“What exactly did Boko do?”

“Just run errands around here and the city, really. Tis the first trial you must endure before becoming a full fledged member of our society.”

If you can call it that, Nick thought to himself. “How long until I reach there?”

“If you’re good, maybe a year.” Cronus replied.

_I’ll be out of here by then. And you’ll be underground_

“Sounds good,” Nick said.

“Excellent. With that being said, my top lieutenants are coming up here for a meeting about some… trust issues... in about a week. I want everything doubled. Production, security, the works. I have to set an example for them, after all. I want you to do whatever work the others want you to take care of, all while personally checking that everything’s in shape, like everyone else. You see something out of touch, report directly to me. I tell everyone this, so as to make sure we have no... leaks in our facility”

“Copy that,” Nick replied, smirking.

“Fantastic. You have GPS on your phone, right? You should get home, Nathaniel.” Cronus said dismissively. “I’d get one of my men to drive you, but my vans are all over the city right now.”

“No problem, boss.”

With that, Cronus nodded and headed down toward the factory floor. Meanwhile, Nick spun around and walked back out to the catwalk to head down the stairs and out the door. The faster he was out of there, the better.

They had his phone. It might be compromised. Nick kept the blinds at half mast that night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bogo assembles a team of his most trusted officers, including Judy, as he prepares the siege on Spectre. Meanwhile, Nick’s completed all the objectives for his assignment, but the home stretched suddenly becomes dangerously convoluted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, finally, the next installment comes long overdue! Sorry for not updating sooner, my internet crapped out on me

“You sure you weren’t followed?”

“I’ve been at this game longer than you, Wilde. I think I recognize a tail when I see one.”

Bogo had arrived at Nick’s UC apartment early the next morning, before the sun even rose above the cityscape. This time Bogo wore jeans and a plain white v-neck. “There a reason you couldn’t just call me or anything this time around, Wilde? I thought the ‘half open blinds’ thing was out the window. No pun intended.”

“I realize that, sir. My phone may have been compromised.”

Bogo raised his eyebrows. “What? But does that mean…”

“My cover’s secure, sir. There’s no way they could trace that burner all the way back to the ZPD.”

Bogo heaved a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”

“I made it in. Last night. Boko’s dead. Shot by his own boss.”

Bogo remained stoic. Clearly he wasn’t surprised about Todd.

Nick continued. “I got a location. Tall building by the docks. The only one connected to a warehouse with catwalks. Sir, I’ve seen firsthand their facilities. They keep women locked up to be used or sold. They grab drug addicts off the streets to produce and package product, working them into their own graves. It’s all absolutely sickening.”

“Don’t worry, Nicholas. You’ll be out of there before you know it. I’ve been bringing the best officers through SWAT refresher courses. We’ll be ready when the attack happens.”

“How’s a week sound to you? The top lieutenants are all meeting there to discuss some issues.”

“Excellent work, Wilde. All your months undercover are really starting to pay off.”

Nick looked at Bogo, perplexed. “Thank… you? Is that how you say it, sir? You’ve never paid me a compliment before.”

He sighed and smirked. “Also good to see you’re still you, Nicholas. Other cops, being undercover for a long period of time… Sometimes they forget their cover ID’s nothing more than just that.”

“Well, I’ve been pretending to be lots of things I wasn’t since I was twelve, sir. I always know to bring myself back every once in a while.”

“Good to hear it.”

Nick leaned forward slightly. “Sir, you mentioned training the best cops.”

“So?”

“Is Judy one of them?”

Bogo simply shrugged. “ Of course. Why wouldn’t she be?”

Nick stared at the Chief, mouth gaping open, ears flat on the sides of his head. “With all due respect, sir, an operation of this magnitude is too much for her!”

“You saying your partner can’t handle herself?”

“Yes! Well, no… but she’s never had to deal with this many dangerous predators before! Predators who won’t think twice about killing her!”

“I thought you would appreciate the fact that she’s going to be watching your back. Would you rather have another officer take her place?”

“I trust Judy more than anyone.”

“Then why all the fuss?”

“Judy doesn’t know what she’s getting into with these guys! It’s too dangerous for her!”

Bogo sighed. “Wilde, have you learned nothing about Hopps since you met her?”

Nick’s face turned into one of slight confusion. “Sir?”

“You think Hopps didn’t know what she was getting into when she first signed up to be a cop? Making the world a better place also implies putting your life on the line to fulfil that. Hell, I’m willing to bet her drill sergeant at the academy called her “Dead” more times than her real name.” Bogo crouched down to put himself eye level with Nick. “One of the hazards about being a cop, Nick, is not knowing when your last day is going to be. Judy’s undoubtedly one of the best officers on the force. You think she’s out there sporting the badge because it’s good for her health? If she wasn’t aware of that risk when she first signed on, then she’s aware of it now. And yet, she’s still with us, ready to lay down her life the moment the need arises. Especially if that moment could mean you living on”

Silence occupied the first several seconds after Bogo. “Sir…” Nick started, his eyes wide, but his throat got choked up on the words. Bogo continued as though Nick never spoke.

“If she knew you were undercover here, I wouldn’t even have to recruit her for my SWAT task force. She’d be the first volunteer.”

Nick stared down at the floor as Bogo took him by the shoulder. “I understand your concern, Wilde. I put the safety of my officers first. I’ll put her in a position where she’ll be of the greatest help, which won’t necessarily be the most dangerous.”

Nick, after hearing him say this, breathed a little easier.

“Now then, if we’re done here…” Bogo started for the door. “I need to get to work. You should do the same.” He stopped halfway through the vestibule before turning back to Nick. “You’re in the home stretch, Wilde. Just one last push.”

Nick sat on his bed for a long while after Bogo left. He found himself wondering about Judy. How was she? Where did she think he was? Did she miss him as much as he missed her? Did she think he abandoned her? Did she already move on? Nick furiously shook especially the latter the ideas out of his head and leapt off the bed. This time, he dressed up in a simple gray sleeveless hoodie and dark jeans. Sliding the pistol into his waistband and slipping the phone and wallet into his pockets became almost routine for him. He tugged the hood over his head and left the apartment.

Around noon, the docks were surprisingly noisy and chaotic by the time he arrived,contrary to the “under the radar” mindset that Spectre had prided itself on. So much so that it caught him off guard. Approaching the complex, he thought the old shipyards have gone back in business. Instead, what he saw was mammals moving pallets of illicit drugs to one warehouse, others moving weapons shipments to another, and others carrying boxes to who-knows-where. He caught one of the mammals by the arm. “What’s going on?” Nick questioned.

“New Blood! You’re here! Great! We’re a bit short on hands at the moment. Drugs need to be moved to Warehouse D. And we got a lot we have to move.”

Nick grabbed hold of the mammal’s shirt again before he could shove off. “Okay. Great. But why all the movement?”

He scoffed. “You wouldn’t believe it. One of Mr Cronus’ top lieutenants was caught last night. One of our foreign strongholds or something. This morning, they found him dead in his holding cell. Boss-man moved up the meeting to this evening. Now we’re all busting our butts to make everything presentable.”

Nick’s heart leapt into his throat. Their one chance at eliminating (or at least severely crippling)  Spectre is coming up much faster than anticipated. Another chance like this wasn’t going to happen, at least not for the foreseeable future. Nick needed to tell Bogo. But not now. There were too many wandering eyes. For the time being, he would have to play along in the preparations, then shoot Bogo a quick text once he got a chance to breathe.

Nick nodded. “You got it. I’ll lend a paw wherever it’s needed.” And with that, he ran over to help move the narcotics into the warehouse.

*   *   *   

Judy sighed as she drove the cruiser around Savannah Central. Her life’s been boring for the most part. There wasn’t that much action going on when she went on patrol, but most of all she seriously missed Nick. He’d been gone for however many months now, and she hadn’t heard from him at all. No calls, no texts, no smoke signals… She even went to Chief Bogo asking where Nick was, but even he didn’t have an answer for her. Not Clawhauser or Finnick neither. Eventually, she reluctantly gave up on asking others where he was and decided that he would just stroll back into the ZPD one morning and act like he wasn’t gone at all. She would find some way to punish him for having her worry and for not getting in touch with her, and hold a grudge for a few days before going back to their regularly scheduled dates, movie nights and cuddle sessions. Hopefully his body won’t turn up somewhere obscure and his name would stay out of the news for the time being.

She glanced at a clock outside of the Lemming Bros. Bank: 5:00 in the afternoon. It wasn’t long before she realized that this was where Nick sold his pawpsicles to the little bankers the day they first met. The line of lemmings streamed from the front of the bank, one glanced expectantly to his left, where Nick used to station himself with a cooler filled with snow and red frozen treats, then looked back to the lemming in front of him, disappointed. Judy couldn’t help but let out a laughing sigh. It looked like she wasn’t the only one missing him right about now…

“ _Judy?_ ” Clawhauser’s voice came in through her personal radio.

She sighed and depressed her thumb into the button. “Yeah, Clawhauser?”

“ _The chief wants you and a bunch of others back at the station. Now. Like, ten minutes ago_ ”

“Tell Bogo I’m coming.” Judy sighed and reclined in the driver’s seat, glancing over at the empty passenger seat next to her. For a second, she pictured Nick in the seat next to her, setting his back flat on the back of the seat, returning her sidelong glance with his own, one paw behind his head, the other flicking open a pair of aviator sunglasses and sliding them onto his muzzle. Just like some dumb macho cop from those cheesy B-movies. Her ears perked up and her head turned when she heard some kind of commotion across the street. Just some waiter who tripped holding a platter of food which then splatted on the customer. The enraged pig yelled insults to the waiter who held his paws up in apology, nothing unusual. When she turned back to the seat, Nick was gone just as fast as he had appeared.

Without another word, Judy started her cruiser once again and headed toward the station with only irrelevant radio chatter breaking the silence.

Judy strolled into the bullpen, at about 6:00 finding Bogo at his podium and several other officers seated with the tables. Instead of their regular police uniforms, many wore black shirts, cargo pants, and combat boots. Judy suddenly looked worried that she missed the memo or something.

“Ah, Hopps, you’re finally here.” Bogo noted calmly. “Don’t worry about the dress code, you’ll have time to change after briefing.”

“Thank you, sir.” was all Judy said. She had more to say, but she kept her mouth shut. Whatever questions she had would likely be answered in the briefing.

Bogo depressed a claw into a projector, then went to the side of the room, turned off the lights, and shut the door. He returned to his podium. “Alright, everyone,” He spoke in hushed tones. “Everything I’m about to stay remains in this room. A high level of secrecy is required for an operation of this delicacy, and I chose you all because you can keep a secret as well as you can operate in a unit and fire straight. I hear one word of it in public after the mission is over, I’ll have your badge and you’ll have my hoof up your ass. Are we clear?”

The usually-rambunctious room now held an eerie silence about it. A lot of the other cops were knuckleheads, sure, but they knew when to put aside the jokes. Nods and grunts of approval sprang up in scattered groups around the bullpen. “Excellent.” Bogo grunted, pleased. “Here’s the issue. How many of you are familiar with the criminal group ‘Spectre?’”

A few paws raised in the air. “Excellent. I’ll give you all the short version. They’re no urban legend, they are very much real. Before, all we had on them were a few dead bodies and missing mammals cases. All seemingly unconnected, except for this symbol either carved or burned into the victims.” He clicked the remote to the next slide that showed an insignia of a snake’s skull bearing its fangs. “This is how we know they exist. As it turns out, they’re a huge crime organization that spreads nationwide, at least. They specialize in anything from drug dealing, mammal trafficking, contract killing, prostitution, you name it. These scum have plagued this city for far too long, and the mayor personally granted me and the ZPD to use whatever force necessary to bring an end to Spectre, and that includes lethal force, provided we keep this all out of the public. With help from an informant, we now have their primary headquarters, as well as a meeting that will be taking place tonight between the heads of every district. We’re not getting another chance to deal damage like this to them again for the foreseeable future. In fact, we play this right, what’s left of Spectre can destroy themselves in a mad fight for power. Your mission: neutralize the boss, who we know as Mr Cronus…” He clicked the remote again, revealing an image of a grizzled hyena with a triangular gap in his right ear and severe scarring over his left eye before continuing, “... as well as his top lieutenants. As for the subordinates, apprehend as many as you can, but use of deadly force is authorized. I will be accompanying you on this mission.”

Several of the other cops had nodded grimly as Bogo continued, clicking his remote, showing more and more images and some floor plans. “Assignments: Sierra Squad, consisting of Wolfard, Grizzoli, Rhinowitz, Fangmeyer, Delgato, and Myself, will be in charge of sieging the enemy complex, eliminating resistance, identifying contraband, releasing any hostages, and apprehension of anyone willing. Charlie Squad, Snarlov, Trunkaby, McHorn, Jackson, Johnson, Andersen, you all will be in charge of establishing a secure perimeter, eliminating any resistance that try to escape, and securing any hostages we send your way. Foxtrot One will consist of Hopps and Hopps only. She’ll be providing overwatch. Assist Charlie and Sierra in their respective areas when requested.”

With each assignment the officers stood up from their chairs to head to the armory or locker room. Soon, there was only Judy still in her seat.

“Hopps, take a sniper rifle and station yourself in the abandoned apartment complex across the way. There’s one that’s been modified for your size. Slightly bigger recoil, decreased magazine size, same punch.” Bogo started out the bullpen to be stopped again by Judy. “Sir, I still have some questions.”

Bogo groaned and turned around to face the bunny, clearly looking like he didn’t want to deal with whatever she had to say. “You’re not going to make this a habit, are you Hopps? Time is of the essence.”

“I understand that, sir, but aren’t there supposed to be two for a sniper team?”

“I kept the numbers as low as I could. The less people know about this, the better. You’re a damn good shot, Hopps, and you’ve proven you can take care of yourself many times.”

Judy nodded, and Bogo turned to leave.

“Sir, who’s the informant?”

“That’s not important, Hopps. Try and focus on what is.”

*   *   *   

Whew! Nick barely managed to finish the text to Bogo as the first of the armored SUVs pulled into the complex. He hastily slipped the cell back into his pants pocket and headed for the main building, tugging his hood off his head. The time was about 6:30 and the sun was showing its first signs of sinking over the horizon. Nick’s paw was already on the door handle when he heard the notorious gravely voice suddenly materialize behind him.

“It’s a good thing you came by when you did.” Mr Cronus croaked. “The preparations for the meeting tonight wouldn’t have been made possible without you.”

“Just doing what I can around here, Mr Cronus.” Nick replied calmly, assuming his cover.

“Oh, I’m sure. You know, I started out like you.” He shook his finger at him. “Overlooked, grunt work, everything. But then, I rose through the ranks, with nothing but hard work and determination. In fact, I quit the old Brotherhood and started my own, which you know today as Spectre. Took them over first, then I grew my empire throughout Zootopia and even beyond. You know how I got to where I am? The same hard work, the same determination, and a lot of respect. A few tried to usurp my throne, but I put them down before they could do anything rash. And with that, my authority grew. The ones who didn’t respect me now feared me. And here I am for all the world to see. Well, theoretically.”

Nick simply nodded. “An inspiring story, Mr Cronus.”

“Thank you.” Cronus smiled sinisterly. “Ah. I seem to have forgotten the case of wine I had brought with me for the meeting tonight. Would you mind fetching it from my car, Nicholas?”

“Sure. No problem.” He turned toward the parking area, but before he realized his mistake, he felt something thwack the back of his head, and he collapsed onto the pavement. 

Cronus kept Nick’s head pinned to the ground with his foot. “So, your real name is Nicholas, huh?” Cronus’s henchmen robbed Nick of his pistol and cell phone. “Your last name wouldn’t happen to be Wilde, would it? As in, the first fox police officer in Zootopia?”

He chuckled as he drove his foot deeper into Nick’s head before he could respond, making him groan in discomfort. “You really thought I wouldn’t keep tabs on you? Think I didn’t bug your phone while I had it in my possession? I got to where I am because I’m careful., and I don’t think your ‘Dad’ would care about ‘ _cd purple-11._ ’ Code, undoubtedly. What does that mean, exactly?” One of his henchmen handed Nick’s pistol to him, who tucked it away in his jacket pocket. “Hm… You all always put on a brave face. At first.” He dropped the phone and crushed it with his heel. “Now they don’t have your location. You really should’ve thought this one through, Nicholas. Rough him up and throw him with the whores. I’ll make an example of him to the others at the meeting tonight.”

With that, Nick was dragged by his arms toward the building. He slapped himself mentally at how careless he had gotten. Not because he sent a text to Bogo on his compromised cell phone, he had no other method. But because he let him call him by his real name. One little slip is all it took. And now, unless either He or Bogo could pull a miracle out of their ass, he was never going to see the heart of Zootopia again. He was never going to see the ZPD again. And most painfully of all, he would never see Judy again.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bogo’s SWAT team assembles nearby the compound in preparation for the siege. Meanwhile, Spectre intends to use Nick as an example during the meeting, but not before breaking his body. Nick, in his severely damaged state, revives hope for Spectre’s captives, although he fears he may not live to see his words carried out.

By nightfall, the whole SWAT team was piled into a large black van and was heading toward the docks. Everyone was decked out in full combat gear, sporting the latest in kevlar and weapons. For the most part, the ride was silent, except for the occasional mechanical clicking of weapons check. And Judy’s tiny foot thumping relentlessly against the metal floor of the van. Bogo gave her a quick shove before she stopped herself.

The van came to a screeching halt and the doors opened to the less fortunate part of Zootopia. They were still several blocks away from the docks, and Bogo stepped out and faced the officers.

“Alright. We’ll be approaching the rest of the way on foot. Hopps, double-time it to that apartment building and tell us what we’re looking at.”

She hoisted the modified sniper rifle over her shoulder and nodded, sprinting as fast as she could into the apartment complex and up the stairs to the roof. She set her extra gear down and propped her bipod against the roof’s edge and peered through the scope. She took careful note of the outside defenses, which mainly consisted of a chain link fence and a gate. A quick flip of the switch enabled every heat signature to become illuminated against a dark blue background, showing two guards standing by the gate with about four more patrolling within the gate.

She adjusted her earpiece. “Sierra, this is Foxtrot One. We got a chain link fence and a gate, plus six guards, two at the gate, the other four patrolling. Oh, and another on the roof”

“ _Copy that, Foxtrot_ ” Bogo’s voice crackled through the radio. “ _Charlie Squad, find cover and take aim, one guard per shooter. Confirm your shot, then fire on my mark. Then, Sierra squad move in through the gate. Charlie, secure the perimeter. No one leaves the compound unless they’re one of us_.”

“ _Copy that._ ”

“ _Copy_ ”

_“Copy, boss_.”

The radios remained silent for a moment. Then, one by one, Charlie squad confirmed their shots.

_“Charlie One, guard right of gate, line of sight confirmed.”_

_“Charlie Two, guard patrolling far left, clear line of sight.”_

_“Charlie Three, guard left of gate, I have a shot.”_

_“Charlie Four, guard center right, I have the solution.”_

_“Charlie Five, the guard to the far right is mine.”_

_“Charlie Six, mid-right guard patrol confirmed.”_

_“What about the roof guy?_ ”

“I got him,” Judy replied, centering the mass between her crosshairs.

Then, Bogo’s voice growled through the radio. “ _Alright. All squads prepare to move. Charlie Squad, fire on my mark._ ”

*    *   *

Nick snapped back from his fifth blackout and yelped in pain once again after a hulking bear thrust his clenched paw into his stomach for the umpteenth time. His wrists were suspended by ropes secured to two pipes along the ceiling, and his legs fell limply against the cold ground, which was now stained with his blood. His right shoulder felt like it was dislocated, his right eye had swollen shut, and his body had so many bruised that if not for his fur, he would resemble a crippled leopard of sorts. Blood flowed freely from his snout and his multiple cuts throughout his body, which replaced almost all the yellow underfur with a vibrant scarlet. He had three divots carved into his shoulder and a deep gash that ran across his chest from his right shoulder to his left hip, and his tail was bent into at least two unnatural right angles. One of his ears fell limp as the bear raised his fist once again.

“That’s enough.” Cronus declared, and the bear lowered his paw reluctantly. “Throw him with the girls. I’ll be asking for him shortly.”

The bear growled, undid his bindings and dragged him down the hall by the nape of Nick’s neck, a trail of scarlet life force trailing behind him. His breathing was labored and he focused most of his concentration on staying conscious, which proved to be a difficult task as pain radiated from all over and threatened another blackout. He heard the lock click and the whimpering girls on the other side. The door swung open and the females fearfully backed up against the wall, squealing. He threw Nick’s broken body in front of them and slammed the door again, without saying a word.

The whimpering actually died down as the henchman left, and all the girls looked at Nick curiously, whispering indistinctly among themselves, but none of them dared move.

“Who is he?” One of them asked, hushed.

“Is he okay? Is he dead?”

“I heard someone getting beaten up… was this him?”

Nick let out shallow, shaky breaths, as though inflating his lungs too much caused him pain. He was laying face down on the dirty concrete floor, but that didn’t matter to him at all. In fact, aside from the slightest rise and fall of his back, he lay frozen as the pool of his own blood expanded and stained the side of his face. One of Nick’s shallow breaths caused his own blood to seep into his nose, making him cough painfully, choking up more blood from his mouth and into the pool.

After several minutes, one of the girls stood and worked up the nerve to approach him. Some others grabbed onto her arms, warning against it, but she swatted them away, whispering “Shut it!” and approached Nick’s body cautiously. She sat down on her own legs next to him, watching him groan in pain and gasp for breath. Then, she carefully took Nick’s shoulder and turned him over onto his back, bringing his face away from the pool of blood to prevent him from choking any more. His groaning grew louder into hisses of agony during this process, his body convulsing madly, and teeth clenched.

“Shhh…” she whispered, cradling his head in her lap, gently stroking the side of his muzzle.

Nick’s body slowly calmed down and his last working eye shut, his breathing was once again reduced to shallow gasps, and his body forming scabs over his wounds in a desperate attempt to repair himself.

“You’re the one that peeked in on us, weren’t you?” She asked softly. “From a few days ago?”

Nick opened his eye to get a look at who was bringing him comfort. She, too, was a canine, although from the light it was difficult to discern her species. She had a thick white fur coat and was dressed in rags that barely covered her unmentionables at all. The fur at the top of her head was longer which came down to cover her right eye, and the tips of her ears seemed to have a little _pomf_ at the tips of them.

Nick nodded and winced as he spoke. “Yeah.”

She smiled sweetly. “I recognize your eyes. Anyone else out there would’ve opened that door and dragged one or two of us out of here. But not you. You’re not one of them, are you?”

Nick could barely shake his head.

“I thought not. I can tell you’re too kind-hearted to even consider being a part of this… this…” she sighed, frustrated as the right word escaped her. She saw Nick’s gash dribbling on his side and onto the floor. The woman took off the rag covering her top and pressed it against his wound. “My name’s Skye.”

Nick tried to speak, but he winced and groaned as she applied pressure on his gash. The rag was soaked almost immediately in blood but she kept pressing. “I used to waitress over at a restaurant in Tundratown. Nothing too extravagant, but it paid the bills. I was on my way to meet up with my boyfriend, but… but I was grabbed off the streets one night after work and they brought me here.” She sighed. “That was about nine months ago. I never saw him since then…”

“Robinson.” Nick whispered.

Her ears perked up and she stared down at him. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Dexter Robinson. That’s his name, isn’t it?”

She looked absolutely bewildered, and the girls behind her chattered excitedly and curiously. “How do you know Dex?”

“He filed a missing mammal’s report on you as soon as he could, and he visited the station every day for any updates.”

Nick’s explanation didn’t seem to help with Skye’s shock. “Report? Station? What are you, a cop?”

Nick let out a pained smirk before responding. “Nick Wilde… ZPD.”

She gasped and her tail thudded against the concrete floor excitedly. The girls behind her followed suit. One of them passed up a crusty blanket, which Skye ripped the cleanest scrap she could off of it and dressed Nick’s wounds a bit. “...Are you really?”

Nick nodded. “Undercover… But that ship’s sailed…”

Their ears lowered in disappointment. Footsteps thudded back toward the room, and Nick knew it was for him. He painfully raised his “good” arm and clutched the vixen’s shoulder and turned to Skye with a look of stern conviction “Cavalry’s coming…”

The door swung open and the whimpering commenced again. Skye backed up so fast that Nick’s head thudded against the floor.

“Back up, sluts! Let’s go, fox. Boss-man wants you.” The bear grunted, grabbing him by the nape and lifting him off the ground, the blood dripping from his fur as he yelped once again, pain searing through his body as his barely healed wounds opened up again and dribbled fresh blood through the dressings, this time almost blacking out. Some of the girls screamed and covered their ears and eyes as Nick was dragged back out of the room the bear slammed the door on the tip of his tail, severing it, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream that fell short as he blacked out once again.

“Oops.” The bear commented sarcastically. “Sorry.”

*   *   *

Outside the compound, Charlie team and Judy had been ready to fire for about ten minutes. Bogo furiously tried contacting Nick on his cell phone, but every call he tries ends up with a direct line to voicemail. He shut his phone frustrated, looking out toward the compound. _Dammit, Wilde. Don’t tell me you’ve been compromised…_

“Chief? Your orders?” Delgato asked.

Bogo sighed defeatedly before tapping his comm link. “Charlie team, prepare to fire on my mark. Three… Two…. One… Mark _.”_

At once, a six shots expertly synchronized into one gunshot rang though the air, and Judy watched through her scope as the six guards all collapsed where they stood.

“Sierra team, move in”

Judy racked the bolt and kept her eyes through the scope, observing the heat signatures around the compound. Some were scrambling toward the source of the shots, toward their own unknowing demise. Inside the compound, there was a lot of movement, except for small clumps on one floor and another group closer to the top. That must be where the meeting was taking place. Her little heart pounded in her chest. This was undoubtedly the most dangerous assignment in her career thus far, and she knew that it was going to be unforgettable.

Mr Cronus made sure his magnum was spotless before the meeting. Nick was a resilient one, that was for sure. The injuries he’s faced would kill even a full grown rhino, yet somehow he found a way to hang on and even remain conscious.

That night, 12 pounds of pressure on the trigger would push Nick’s crippled body to its limits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! Getting excited, isn’t it? Sorry this chapter might seem a little shorter, but I couldn't resist a good cliffhanger. I spent longer than I care to admit editing the last two “paragraphs” alone, and I’m really proud of how it turned out.
> 
> I do enjoy making cliffhangers. And watching you squirm because of it. I'm REALLY tempted to post the next chapter with it, but where would the fun in that be? Mua-ha-ha...
> 
> Thank you all so much for the kudos and comments, by the way! It means more than you all know!
> 
> Until the next update...


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter this time around. I just couldn’t wait any longer before posting this next installment. If everything goes well, you should be able to see chapter 8 by the end of the weekend.
> 
> Also, If you all have any ideas you want me to try my hand at in writing, shoot me a message or something (Preferably on tumblr, I spend more time there anyway) ! I already have some ideas for the next fic I’m writing, but it still needs time to really flesh out before I start, and I find that it comes together much better when it spends some time brewing in the back of my mind while I’m working on something else.

“Mmm? What was that booming?” The top of Spectre’s ladder all sat around a long rectangular aluminum table, with Cronus at the head. There was seven of them, ranging from a looming rhinoceros to a crafty raccoon, each one arguably more dangerous than the last.

Cronus waved his hand dismissively. “Storms are a regular occurrence here. Helps to cover up our actions around here.” He leaned his shoulders on the table. “Gentlemen… And lady, I haven’t forgotten…  We’re here to talk about a growing issue within our institution. And this issue has gotten so serious that we’ve lost a dear colleague because of it.” He gestured to the empty seat at the table. “May he prosper, wherever he is now.”

Everyone murmured and nodded in agreement. “Security.” He continued. “We are who we are because we’re careful. So careful that all our actions go unnoticed unless we want them known. Like a ghost. But we can’t function like that if we aren’t careful who we let into our little operation.”

A rhythmic booming thud resounded off the metal door and Cronus smiled wickedly.

“Right on time. Come in!”

The door swung open and Cronus’s bear henchmen lumbered in with a broken Nick in tow. He slammed Nick’s face against the table hard enough for one of his ear to ring for a good five minutes. Blood spattered on the table in front of him as he coughed up more blood after he yelped in agony as the bear put immense pressure on his skull.

“Meet Nicholas Wilde.” He declared somewhat cheerfully. “Many familiar with the local police may know the name. First fox officer, and now the first UC that initially slipped under my nose.”

He went on, but his rambling fell dead on Nick’s ears. He’d messed up. Not unlike any other time he may have messed up, but now it was gonna cost him his life. And now he was going to leave it all behind. His job, his friends, that exotic fish he never got around to buying… but most of all, he was going to lose Judy. Her black tipped ears, beaming violet eyes, her chubby cheeks that he loved to squeeze and that she hated to have squeezed… He was going to lose it all. When he died, he wondered, would they tell her the truth as to how he died? Or would they spin up some piece of fiction designed to cover their own asses? With all the emphasis Bogo put on the secrecy of this operation, it was likely the latter.

Cronus continued rambling as he pulled out his magnum revolver and cocked back the hammer. “So, just to make sure what happens to our colleague won’t happen to us any more, allow me to demonstrate one time and one time only how we deal with security threats.” He pressed the barrel against Nick’s temple as he closed his eyes and hissed through his teeth, silently going over his goodbyes. Goodbyes that would not feel the crisp air that night.  _Mom, I hope I did right by you. It didn’t end the way either of us would have liked, but I promise I tried. Chief, You’re a bit of a real dick sometimes, but you’re a great leader. Judy… Damn it, Judy… I know I was far from the mammal you probably ever envisioned being with, and I’m sorry for not being able to be that for you. But the time I spent with you was the time of my life, and I would only exchange it for more time to spend with you. When this is all said and done, don’t forget me, please. And I hope you find someone out there that could give you all the things you wanted that I never could._

“One…”

_I’m sorry I can’t tell you this personally, or even let you know at all…_

“Two…”

_But I love you, Judy._

“Thr…”

Cronus was interrupted by muffled machine gun fire underneath their floor. Several of the lieutenants look at each other confused, and a few began drawing weapons of their own. Just then, a wolf bursts into the meeting place, clutching his blood soaked side. “Sir! They’ve found us!” He gasped before firing a few rounds down the hallway. “Things are bad out here. I suggest you get out while you can!”

Cronus cursed under his breath before pressing the barrel harder into Nick’s head. “This is your doing, isn’t it?” He growled. “The time, I understand, but how you relayed the location to them… You met personally with your handler, is that it?”

Nick let out a weak laugh before groaning as pain shot through his lungs, and Cronus removed the barrel from his temple. Voices could be heard shouting amidst the firing, some of which Nick recognized as his fellow officers. The booming voice was especially easy for Nick to pick out of the rest.

“No matter.” Cronus muttered. With a wave of his pistoled hand, everyone else flipped the table on its side. Half took cover behind it, half stood waiting at the door, pistols and SMGs at the ready. Cronus grabbed Nick by the back of the neck and wrenched him upward, aiming his own pistol at the door. “How bout I let you watch me kill your brothers in blue before I kill you, huh?”

Nick tried to say something but his grip tightened on the back of Nick’s neck. “Go on. Tell ‘em you’ll be joining them soon.”

*   *   *

Judy watched attentively through her scope, watching the organized group of heat signatures clear out the building and watching the other ones drop one by one. So far, everything had gone off without a hitch. The breaching was clean, and so far the only injury was Grizzoli taking one to the vest. Taking the shield was a good move.

“ _We’ve got innocents holed up in locked doors along this hallway. Females.” Fangmeyer stated through the radios_.

“ _Wait, I recognize some of these. They’re missing mammals_.”

“ _We’ve got to get them to safety_.”

“ _Grizzoli, escort the civilians back to Charlie squad. Everyone else, with me. Charlie squad, prepare to receive_.”

“ _Copy that, chief_.”

“Chief, in the next room there’s about ten heat signatures that have been still up until now. I think that’s your meeting place.” Judy reported. “Looks like they’re expecting you.”

“ _Copy that, Hopps. Green light to engage._ ”

With that, Judy waited for Sierra team to reach the door that separated them from the heads of Spectre. She yanked the bolt back and steadied her breathing as she lined up the crosshairs with the closest heat signature.

“ _Alright, Sierra, breach on my mark. Three… Two…_ ”

Judy dropped the first heat signature before Bogo finished his countdown, just to throw them off guard. And from the looks of things, it worked splendidly. Once the body dropped, several of the others ducked and covered their heads. Some even began firing blindly back through the window, making everyone inside unprepared for Sierra squad coming through the door.

The gunfight lasted for a good five minutes, with neither side making much headway. The narrow doorway with the shield made for fantastic cover for Sierra team, but not much room for returning fire. But with a little strategic firing, more and more targets fell to the ground. As more started to fall dead, Judy saw one of the wider heat signatures start to retreat up the stairs. The way it moved was unnatural. Stumbly, almost. She racked the bolt and fired, then after seeing the signature was still on the move, racked it again and fired. Another miss.

“Chief, you got a runner. Up the stairs, toward the roof.”

“ _Handle it, Hopps. We’re still busy here!_ ”

Judy sighed and followed the hobbling heat signature up the stairs. _Once the shot opens up again…_ She thought, _I’ll take you out._

*   *   *   

Nick yelped each time he was dragged up a step as his shins banged against the corners of each one. “C’mon, you fucking mutt.” Cronus growled, jerking him up the stairwell. “I’ve worked too damn hard to lose all this in one night, and I’m far from done with you. I’ll just rebuild everything!”

Cronus continued cursing Nick as the pair hobbled up the stairs, pausing only to wrap Nick’s arm around his shoulder to drag him more efficiently. Finally, they reached the roof access and he kicked the door open and staggered toward the helicopter parked there.

“You’re in for it now, Nicky boy.” He snarled. “Now instead of just shooting you in the head, carving the insignia, and dropping you off in some ditch somewhere, I’m gonna shoot you in the head and drop your body off 10,000 feet. I’ve personally never done it before, but I hear there’s a satisfying _splat_ that you can hear if you’re quiet enough.”

They were about half the distance away from the helicopter when Cronus smirked and shook the broken fox wrapped over his shoulder. “C’mon, stay conscious. You’ll have plenty of time to sleep soon enough.”

Nick focused all his energy on staying awake, because his body was too damaged to fight any more. Even the intense pain he was once in was starting to numb over.

“What, nothing to say? You were once so chatty. What changed?”

Nick gasped just enough to say, “Screw you, you fucking lowlife. Your consequences will catch up to you.”

Cronus laughed. “Look at me, Nicholas. I’ve already gotten away with this! I’m gonna jump in that helicopter, eliminate you, and start over in a new place under a new name… Just like clockw..!”

In the distance, a single gunshot rang out in the night air, and seconds later, a sickening _squelch_  meant the bullet hit Cronus. Unfortunately, the massive pain Nick felt soon after in his side confirmed the bullet penetrated him, and right into Nick’s side.

 His scream of pain only came out as a grunt as he and Mr Cronus fell to the floor. Nick fell hard on his knees first before lying face down on the roof, his limp hand soaking in the blood now spurting out of his new wound and dribbling out his reopened ones. The taste of blood plagued his mouth as he coughed and turned his head to look at Cronus. Blood was dribbling out of his mouth as he coughed up some blood himself, a look of shock plastered on his face. Unable to turn his head, his eyes darted to Nick, who smirked amidst his pain and groaned.

“Yeah… Like clockwork…”

Nick felt his eyelids grow heavier and heavier. He coughed again as he heard footsteps pounding up the stairs. _So, this is it._ He thought. _Every moment I’ve lived has climaxed into this moment._

“Sierra team heading up the stairs now.” he heard in officer mutter, muffled as his body began to shut down

_Is it too late to ask for my money back_?

He gasped for breath one last time, as much as he could, just before slipping into unconsciousness.

“Carrots… Judy … I’m sorry… I missed movie night…”

*   *   *   

Judy had followed the heat signature all the way up the stairs to the roof. Once the yellow-orange-red figure finally made it, she took a deep breath and steadied her weapon. _This time, I’m not gonna miss,_ she promised herself.

She kept the crosshairs lined up with the center of the figure as it slowly made its way toward the helicopter. It was envisioned perfectly in her mind. Deep breath, smooth trigger squeeze on the exhale, and the figure falling to the ground, motionless. It was ugly, even from this far away, but it was her duty.

Two deep breaths to calm herself, and on the third she squeezed the trigger. A slight spray of lime green emanated from the figure on the scope before falling. She raised her brow slightly, confused at first, as the figure seemed to split off into two as it fell. No, it couldn’t be. There was only one heat signature. She released the last of her breath in a sharp exhale, smirking slightly.

“Foxtrot here. Target down.” Judy stated through her radio.

“ _Copy that, Foxtrot._ ” Bogo replied. “ _Making our way up now._ ”

She watched the friendly heat signatures make their way up to the rooftop, listening to the radio chatter along the way.

_“All major Spectre targets either neutralized or apprehended_.” Fangmeyer declared.

“ _Yep. That means Hopps got the escaping leader. Props to her_.”

“ _She’s a damn good shot. I’ll think twice before crossing her again_ ,”

“ _You and me both._ ”

Bogo growled. “ _Both of you, can it. We’re right outside the roof. Funnel formation, lets go._ ”

The heat signatures cautiously moved across the roof, steadily approaching the body.

“ _Roof’s clear_.”

“ _Wolfard, check the body_.”

“ _Copy_ ”

One figure approached and crouched down to the body. “ _Confirmed. It’s Cronus. Nice shot, Foxtrot._ ”

Judy smirked to herself as Bogo’s voice came in “ _Charlie team, come in to assist with body collection_.”

Then, Wolfard picked up again. “ _Sir? There’s another body here_.”

“ _Another? That’s not possible, Wolfard. Hopps confirmed one heat signature, one shot._ ”

“ _Sir, judging from Cronus’ penetration wound and close proximity to his body, it looks like this fox was hiding behind Cronus in some way. Like he was dragged by the shoulder._ ”

Bogo was silent for a moment. _“Did you say ‘fox?’”_

“ _That’s right, sir. Looks like he was beaten half to death, dragged up here with Cronus, and caught the bullet that went through him. I’m not seeing an exit wound for him, and it looks like he’s barely breathing_.”

Judy watched the largest of the heat signatures sprint over to the bodies, pushing the other one aside. “ _Move!_ ” He crouched down on the body and gasped. Wolfard stood up and backed away.

It was quiet for a moment. The next words Bogo would say would haunt Judy forever.

“ _GET A BUS DOWN HERE IMMEDIATELY! OFFICER WILDE IS DOWN!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s Chapter 7 for you all! How many of you all were expecting that? We’re still a little ways from the ending, so don’t worry, but they’re going to be much less shooty-action and more angsty-ish sort of plot. Again, I’m so excited to post the upcoming installments so they might be updating more and more recently until this fic is over.
> 
> [Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/zooptoopfanworks)
> 
> There's the link to my ZT tumblr, if you're curious on what I'm up to between updates, and also the best means of communication between you and me. As usual, I encourage you all to talk to me about anything, whether it be about feedback from some of my writing or just random conversation! My asks and messages are always open (I think, I’m still relatively new to the tumblr scene)! Come to me with any concerns or suggestions and I’ll do my best to accommodate!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick is rushed to Rainforest Medical with a guilt-stricken Judy in tow, who spends the night in the hospital awaiting his recovery. Then, her next stop is Bogo’s office, the only other one to have any answers.

Judy threw the rifle over her shoulder and bolted to the edge of the building. Vaulting over the edge onto the fire escape, she practically leapt down each level before leaping down onto the hard concrete below. Pain shot up her leg, but she kept sprinting toward the SWAT van. Sirens sounded off in the distance and were fast approaching. She threw the rifle as well as her vest into the back of the van and bounded for the main complex just as Bogo emerged with a badly beaten Nick in his arms.

“Nick!” She cried out, her mad dash stopped by Grizzoli and Fangmeyer as Bogo walked on past her wordlessly. She struggled madly against them, but to no avail. She turned to the officers restraining her, tears welling up in her eyes. “Is… is he..?”

“It’s hard to say at this point.” Grizzoli said flatly, his own ears going flat against his head. “He was beaten so badly that Wolfard didn’t recognize him at first glance. It even took the chief a minute to make him out.”

Her ears fell limply against her back as she slumped over. This must’ve been why he’d been gone for so many months. This was why he cut off communication with her. Judy started tying together all the loose ends in her mind when a heart-wrenching epiphany dawned on her.

“What were his injuries like?”

Fangmeyer let out a long sigh between clenched teeth before starting. “Long gash along his chest, bit of his tail severed off, multiple lacerations throughout his body, and a…” He trailed off.

“Fangmeyer…” Judy scowled. “Finish the thought.” Although deep down, she already knew the answer.

He gulped. “Gunshot wound. Traveled through Cronus before hitting him. There’s no exit wound.”

_I **shot** him. I shot my **best friend**_. That was all she could think. The ambulance pulled up and she watched Bogo place Nick into the stretcher. The paramedics whisked him back into the ambulance.

Judy wrenched herself free of the officer’s grip and pelted toward the closing ambulance doors. She slipped through Bogo’s arms as he tried to catch her.

“Hopps…” He started.

She shot her commanding officer a glare that would pierce the Earth if looks could kill. She bounded on all fours and slid in through the smallest possible crack as the paramedic closed the ambulance doors.

Judy scrambled onto the edge of Nick’s gurney. The other paramedic was startled but quickly tended to Nick’s injuries where he safely could.

Judy’s heart wrenched as her ears flattened once again behind her and tears flowed freely from her eyes. Grizzoli was right. Nick had been beaten bad enough that even she had to look twice before realizing it was him. The flesh on his chest was torn diagonally from his shoulder to his hip that was only kept together with a dirty smelly rag. His fur was riddled with scarlet splotched where his flesh was broken. She gently stroked his right side to find at least two broken ribs before finding what she thought was the finishing blow -- her gunshot wound. Nick’s mouth slacked open and his breathing was dangerously shallow. His right eye was still swollen shut and his tail took sharp 90 degree turns where it wasn’t supposed to. The longer Judy saw Nick the way he was, the sicker and guiltier she felt.

Judy took Nick’s paw and clasped hers around it tightly. “Nick…” She choked. “Nick, please… Stay with me…” She gripped his paw tighter in the hopes of feeling him squeeze back, but to no avail. His paw remained limp in hers.

She took their paws and pressed them against her mouth, sobbing. “Nick, please… answer me, please… I’m so sorry… I didn’t know you were behind him…” She started trembling violently as she grimaced and shut her eyes tight. “I can’t lose you again. Especially not like this… Please, Nick...”

The ambulance suddenly skidded to a stop and the paramedic pried Judy away from Nick’s broken body. Despite her screaming and desperate grabs for him, they succeeded in keeping Judy away long enough to get Nick’s gurney on the ground and rolling through the doors of Rainforest Medical. A team of doctors joined up with the paramedics as they rolled Nick hurriedly down the hallways of the crowded hospital, Judy hot on their heels.

“Make a hole!” One of them exclaimed.

“What’s the story with this one?” questioned a donkey in a white coat.

“Adult fox male, multiple bruising and lacerations throughout body, namely the gash behind that rag, broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, three more deep cuts to the other shoulder, broken tail, possible internal bleeding… Oh, and a gunshot wound to the right side. No exit wound.” One of the paramedics recited.

Another doctor nodded with his stethoscope pressed up to Nick’s chest. “There’s a pulse, but it’s weak.”

“BP’s dropping.”

“Let’s get him into surgery right now.”

Judy had followed them up until two large wooden doors where one of the doctors turned and stopped Judy in her tracks.

“You’ll need to wait out here, miss.” the doctor stated.

Judy knew there was no point in arguing, but tried anyway. “Please, you don’t understand. That’s my bo...partner in there, and I’m responsible for why he’s in there!” That wasn’t entirely false.

The doctor held her ground. “We’ll do all we can for your partner, but you need to wait outside.” With that, she left Judy in the waiting room to reconvene with the other doctors.

Judy fell to her knees where she stood, shoving her paws in front of her face and choking back a sob. She exhaled sharply and drew in a deep breath, wiping the tears from her eyes. By looking at her own paws, she realized they were covered in blood. Nick’s blood.

Suddenly her stomach somersaulted and the world around her started to spin. She dashed for the bathroom and leapt onto the row of sinks. With a swift twist of the knob, the water spurt forth and Judy thrust her arms into the stream, madly scrubbing the blood from her fur and sleeves of her uniform all while choking and gasping amidst her own sobbing. Nick’s blood mingled with the soap as it swirled in a little puddle in the sink down the drain. She ran her paws up and down her forearms and thrust her eyes up at the mirror. Her own eyes were weary and puffy from crying. Her nose twitched incessantly and her lips quivered. On her own cheek held a dark red streak of Nick’s blood where she had wiped earlier.

She gasped softly and collected water in a bowl made from her paws and splashed it on her face. The coolness of the water helped to calm her down a bit as she scrubbed Nick’s blood off her face. Unfortunately, the cool water also confirmed that this was far from a dream.

Finally her fur had returned more to their normal light gray state, but the sleeves on her jacket were uncomfortably wet. She furiously unzipped it and tied the sleeves around her waist, leaving her in a plain white tank top. She splashed a little more water on her face before returning to the waiting room for the Doctor.

It had been about 9:00 since she had first arrived at the hospital. She pulled herself up to a chair and tried reading the three-year-old magazines to distract her. When that didn’t work, she let her feet dangle and let her eyes wander around the room.

Her ears perked up every time she heard the big wooden doors swing open. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Nick the first time. Or the second. Or the third…

Finally, the clock struck 1:00 in the morning. Judy was the only one left in the waiting room. She took two chairs and had them face each other for a makeshift bed and lay herself down in it, shirt spread over her like a blanket, but sleep wouldn’t come. Finally, the doors swung open, and the same reindeer who had stopped her earlier stepped back out into the waiting room. Her ear perked up, but she remained curled up into the chairs. The doctor slowly sauntered towards her.

“Miss Hopps?” the doctor whispered.

Judy slowly sat up wearily and faced the doctor. “How is he?”

“The surgery was a success. We did what we could to stop the internal bleeding, repositioned his broken bones so they set right, removed the bullet, and sealed up his wounds properly...”

Judy sighed. That was certainly good news, but she had a more pressing question on her mind. “Is he going to be okay?”

She looked down a little bit before responding. “He’s far from out of the woods. He’s lost a lot of blood and his injuries were extremely severe. It’s not for certain yet.”

Judy nodded solemnly as she continued. “You should go home, Miss Hopps. He’ll still be here tomorrow.”

“He might not be.” She whispered.

The doctor sighed and raised herself. “Well, I won’t force you, but you can’t force me to stay either. I did what I could, my shift ended three hours ago, and I need to rest.”

“Thank you for everything, doctor.” Judy smiled.

“It’s what I do.” She turned to leave.

“Doctor?”

“Yes?”

“How did you know my name?”

She smiled. “Lucky guess of sorts. He said it during surgery.”

Judy’s face froze. “He...did?”

“That’s right.” She confirmed. “He came to while we were operating. Still delirious, but thrashed around a bit so we had to give him a mild anesthetic. At first all he could say was ‘Carrots,’ over and over again, like he was worried about something. Then once we managed to calm him down a bit, he whispered ‘Judy,’ and fell back under. From there, it wasn’t a long stretch to connect ‘Judy’ with the first rabbit officer of the ZPD.”

Judy stared at the doctor for a minute in disbelief. Nick called out to her by name. At least that meant he still knew who he was. She had heard stories of undercover cops being under for so long that... After a while she snapped back to reality and nodded. “Thank you for everything, doctor.”

She nodded and headed for the exit, taking off her white coat and replacing it with a bright yellow poncho as she walked out into the torrential rain.

Judy laid her head back down onto the seats. She was relieved that he made it to the hospital fast enough so he still stood a chance at living, but above all else, she was concerned. Concerned and guilty. Primarily, ‘Was Nick going to pull through?’ was the biggest question on her mind, but others like ‘Does he know I shot him?’ and ‘Will he ever forgive me?’ came in close second. As she ran through the questions over and over again in her mind, sleep overtook her. Sleep that was filled with troubling dreams.

 

*   *   *   

Judy remained in the hospital for as long as she could, all the while pleading to the universe that Nick would be okay. Eventually, a glance at the clock confirmed that she was to start her shift in a few hours, and so left reluctantly, stopping by her apartment only to change back into her regular police uniform. The train ride back to her apartment and then to the police station felt shortened as she was preoccupied with the same recurring questions in her head. Questions with not enough answers. And only one other person could give her the answers she needed. And the mayor sure as hell wasn’t going to say anything.

Stepping into the police station, she heard the commotion go from its regular raucous business to a low whisper, not unlike the local library. She sighed as she made her way to the reception desk. Even Clawhauser, who was usually in an optimistic bubbly mood looked weighed down.

“Hey, Judy.” the cheetah sighed dejectedly. “Nick feeling any better?”

She flinched when she heard him mention his name. The slightest allusion to him reopened the window into last night’s operation. Her behind the scope, the amalgamation of warm colors through the thermal vision scope, the smooth trigger pull, the visible spray from the hobbling heat signature…

Judy shuddered and cleared her throat. “It’s still uncertain.” She replied without looking his way. Instead of going to roll call like usual, she bounded up the steps toward Bogo’s office.

“I’m in the middle of my morning routine. Can’t this wait?” He boomed softly once she knocked.

No, it couldn’t. She had too many questions and not enough answers. Her reply was her foot in Bogo’s office.

“That wasn’t an invitation inside…” He began, stopping when he saw it was Judy in the doorway, a scowl plastered on her face. He pursed his lips and got back to whatever he was doing on his desk.

“Nick was your ‘informant,’ wasn’t he?” Judy growled, glaring at her superior.

“Welcome back. Shouldn’t you be on the way to roll call, Hopps?” Bogo glanced up from his paperwork, and after seeing the same steely determination in her eyes she had when she took up a missing mammal’s case within her first month on the job, surrendered. He simply sighed and set his glasses down on his desk, staring back at Judy indifferently. No point in hiding anything from her now. “Yes, he was.”

“You sent him in undercover, and for whatever reason kept everyone else on a need-to-know basis. Something that would’ve been nice to know before I was behind the scope and took the shot. Why?” She demanded. Her rage was fuming, and it took everything within her to barely keep her composure together.

“Because Spectre’s dangerous, and been that way for a damn long time.” Bogo replied calmly. “We tried everything ‘by the book,’ but nothing stuck. The longer we waited, the more powerful they got, the more cops and civilians they killed, the closer they got to overthrowing Zootopia’s government and wreaking havoc and causing anarchy. We couldn’t have that, so we chose the lesser of the two evils. The mayor put the green light on the all-out attempt to put an end to Spectre once and for all. The less ears that knew about it, the safer it was for everyone. Word of this got public, I’d lose my job, the mayor would lose his, but worst of all, Spectre would have taken his place, and your job would get a hell of a lot harder.”

“But why Nick?!?” She exclaimed, her composure weakening as she yearned for more answers. “He’s barely passed ‘rookie’! He’s had no experience as an undercover officer at all! And you send him to go wade in the deep end with the worst Zootopia has to offer! And for what? So you could keep your cushy paycheck?!?”

Bogo’s fist slammed on his desk. “Watch your tone, Hopps! Need I remind you which end of the desk you’re on?”

Judy clenched her own fists and glared intensely at Bogo. She had pulled herself up on top of his desk. “Sir, all I want are answers.The only other person I would know to ask is Nick, but because of you, he sure as hell isn’t going to be answering any of my questions anytime soon.”

Bogo opened his mouth to say something back but sighed defeatedly. He rubbed his eyes with his hoof for a moment before turning back to face her. What Bogo said next completely caught her off guard. “You think I took pleasure in circumstances like this?”

The rage in Judy’s face dissipated and replaced with one of shock and confusion. “You think I would put my job above your lives?” He continued.

He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a small shoebox filled with police badges. The box plopped on the table in front of Judy as she peered inside. Many were old and worn, their luster lost from age. Some were even damaged. One had a gaping hole through the “E” in “Police.” On the backs of many of them were names written in permanent marker over a thin strip of masking tape. Names of people she’d never heard about, except for a few from newspaper articles that reported on officers killed in the line of duty.

“Hopps, you’re looking at the some best cops in the history of the ZPD. Chance, Harker, Wagner, Pryde, Colt… Officers so devoted to the cause that they gave their lives for it. All because I sent them out there. All because they took my orders. And when they died, they left behind children. Partners. Lovers. I keep their badges because it’s my way of honoring them. I dedicate each day to my fallen brothers and sisters, and I make damn sure I never make the same mistake twice.”

Judy looked up at the cape buffalo before her to watch his eyes mist with tears and his body tremble slightly as he continued. “I chose Wilde for a number of reasons. Not only because of his experience as a con man, or his charisma, or even the fact that he was a fox. I chose him because he was the best mammal for the job and I knew he could handle it. He’s a damn good cop, and he’s done nothing but prove that since he signed up. Guess you really rubbed off on him.” He let out a single wry chuckle before frowning again. “The last thing I want is to add another badge to this box, because if I do that, I’ll have to devote a whole drawer in my desk for these. And I sure as hell don’t plan on starting that anytime soon. It’d… It’d just be too much for an old buffalo.”

Things were silent for several minutes, neither mammal shifting or diverting their attention anywhere but the floor beneath them.

“Hopps…” Bogo broke the silence, “Take a paid vacation. However long it takes for Wilde to get back on his feet. And two weeks after that. You’re his partner, and right now he needs you more than ever.”

Judy simply nodded solemnly and hopped off his desk and onto the carpet. “Thank you, sir.” She started out the door, but stopped before opening the door outside. “Sir?”

Bogo had been thumbing through the badge box when he tilted his head up towards the door.

“I’m glad you’re the one I’m taking orders from. There’s no one else I’d rather follow in the field.”

Bogo nodded. “Thank you, Hopps. Now get going, I have a busy morning ahead of me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I honestly didn't expect this fic to be as popular as it is now! Thank you all for your love and support as I write my way through this!
> 
> And to show my gratitude, I leave a significantly smaller cliffhanger to leave you guys on xD
> 
> For those who don't know, I've hyperlinked my tumblr on Chapter 7, if any of you all are curious what I'm up to in between updates. My inbox and my asks are open, and I'm always looking for a good conversation!
> 
> Until next time...


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy isn't the only one to visit Nick in the hospital

She hadn’t even changed out of her police uniform before she got back to Rainforest Medical, stopping once to pick up a quick blueberry muffin from the bakery. The waiting room had gotten significantly more crowded since she left that morning, although no one had bothered to move her makeshift bed from last night. She climbed up onto the reception desk. “Excuse me?”

The nurse behind the desk was a giraffe, and Judy’s sudden appearance made her jump, nearly high enough for her head to penetrate the ceiling tiles above her. “Oh! Sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!”

The kind giraffe simply giggled. “Oh, never you mind. I was always the skittish one in the family. What can I do for you?”

“I’m checking up on my partner. Nicholas Wilde?”

“Just a moment,” She craned her long neck down to the computer screen and danced her cloven hooves on the keyboard for a moment. She paused and looked up at Judy. “By the way, did you see that ludicrous play in the game last night?” She asked.

Judy blinked, not knowing what the nurse was talking about, but an instant later she recognized it. It was the first half of a code, one of the many they went over at the academy. She wasn’t sure how the nurse knew about it, or why she was enacting it right now, but she needed to reply now.

“The coach must’ve been crazy, sending in their star player that soon.”

The nurse smiled, then tapped a little more on the keyboard before tilting her head toward the double wooden doors. “Third floor, room 356. And keep that badge visible, Officer.”

“Why the secrecy?” Judy questioned, curious.

“Chief Bogo gave specific instructions only to let those who knew the code through to see Mr Wilde. I’m given to understand there’s bad blood between him and dangerous people. But it’s only a precaution.”

Judy nodded understandingly. With a quick thanks, she bounced off the desk and slipped into the doors just as a team of doctors made their way out.

Judy’s heart wrenched in her chest when she crept into Nick’s room. The covers only reached up above his waist and his left arm rested atop it. His right arm was in a splint, his left shoulder was bandaged with layers of gauze folded over and secured under his arm, and his chest was bandaged tightly and expertly, with another pillow of gauze centered to his right side.

Underneath the bed, his tail was threaded through a hole and hung bandaged, limp, and motionless, thankfully with all of the unnatural bends straighened out. Thick cotton was secured with more bandages over his eye, in which the swelling had subsided nicely. Over his uninjured eye, small adhesive strips lined the top of his brow. His eyes remained shut and his mouth was slightly ajar. Tubing that ran fresh oxygen led up to his nose and ran along his muzzle. His body was shaved in several places, revealing the expert stitching done by the surgeons.

Judy made her way to Nick’s side, the heart rate monitor maintaining a steady stream of beeps. She hated to see Nick like this. It was certainly an improvement from the night before, but he still looked horribly mutilated, and so many cords hung off his body that he resembled the type of puppet that came to life in horror movies.

With every step she took she felt the pressure of tears building up in her eyes, so much so that she felt dangerously close to bursting once she was at his side. Her ears drooped behind her and for a while, she just stared at him. Stared at the poor, broken mass that was her partner, frightened that the slightest touch might double the damage done to him.

“Hey, Nick.” She swallowed hard and worked up the nerve to reach over and take his paw in her own. The warmness of his paw brought a small wave of relief over Judy. It told her that he was alive, at least for the time being. “I brought you a muffin from that bakery you like. Blueberry, of course. Figure it’d be a nice change from the food here.” She chuckled, plopped the muffin down next to his bed, brought her nose in close to his paw and inhaled deeply, taking in his scent, breathing as though it would be the last she would ever smell it. She stayed like that for what felt like hours, just standing by Nick’s side, clasping his paw, silently pleading to anyone up above who was willing to listen to just bring him back to her. Nick’s expression never changed.

“Nick…” She finally whispered, gripping his paw tighter. “Nick, please come back to me. You’ve been gone for months now, and the first time I see you after that is you like… this. And what I did last night certainly didn’t help any…” She let out a shaky sigh. “Nick, I had no idea you were behind Cronus that night. If I had known, I would’ve aimed somewhere else, or never would’ve fired altogether, please believe me. Somewhere where I wouldn’t be what could be the finishing blow. Nick…” wetness dribbled down her cheeks as the dam holding back her tears reached its breaking point. “Nick, I’m sorry I shot you… I’m… I’m sorry I found a way to hurt you even more than I did back then… Nick, if you can hear me, please forgive me… I can’t live with myself if you don’t give me some indication that…”

Her face was buried into the bed, the last words she spoke coming out only in muffles. She stopped when she heard a tap at the door. Slowly her face rose from the side of the bed to see a mammal standing halfway at the door that looked strangely familiar to her. He was a lynx, clad in distressed jeans and a red flannel button down with the sleeves rolled up below his elbows and the front unbuttoned, revealing a grungy gray t-shirt with lettering too faded to read. His bright yellow eyes contrasted the dark grey of his fur, which was also decorated in subtle darker stripes that ran along the back of his body. He smiled warmly once he had Judy’s attention. “Hey. Sorry, is this a bad time?”

Judy sniffled and wiped away her tears with her free paw, her other paw still clasped around Nick’s. “Yeah, but it’s not like it’s getting any better anytime soon. Can I help you?”

The lynx stepped aside and moved over, gently coaxing someone else to enter. A vixen with pure white fur peeked her head in before slowly taking a few steps toward the bed and stopping. Her fur was a little unruly, as though she had a rough night before coming to the hospital. She wore a simple purple sundress with a denim hoodie with a grey cloth hood and sleeves. A charm bracelet decorated her wrist and directed attention away from the hospital wristband she wore on the same hand. Her white fur covered the top of her head and cascaded down her face to cover her right eye, and little poofs of fur sprouted from the tips of her ears. She took a deep breath to steady herself before looking at Judy. “Is this him? Nick Wilde?”

Judy looked at the vixen skeptically, unsure of how she knew her partner, therefore unsure if she was a threat. “Who are you?” She asked lowly, her paw resting on the tranquilizer on her belt.

The vixen took a step back, scared for a moment. The lynx behind her started to approach them, but a simple wave from the arctic fox kept him at bay. “My name’s Skye. A few years ago I was grabbed off the street and forced to… to give myself to Spectre.” Her own tears started to well up in her eyes and she started trembling, to which the lynx behind them stepped up behind Skye and embraced her from behind, supporting her as her own legs seemed to fail her. She let out a shaky breath. “Every day for the years to follow, that was what I was forced to do. I was abused, terrified, drugged… And every day all I could think of was Dex. If he waited for me, if he forgot about me, if he found someone else… The longer I stayed there, the more I believed that I was never going to make it out of there, and I was determined to… to end things for myself.”

Judy’s paw had fallen slack off her tranquilizer as she heard her story, her heart feeling heavier hearing this vixen’s story.

Her voice got more and more shaky as tears flowed freely down her cheeks, her boyfriend lynx rubbing her arm comfortingly and resting his head in the nook of her neck. “I knew how I was going to do it too. I took a syringe filled with some drug from one of the times they used me and hid it from them. Last night, I planned to inject myself with it. Drug overdose. They wouldn’t think twice about it, because it wouldn’t have been the first time it happened. That same night, though, was the same night I met Nick, your... partner?” She formed the last bit of the statement into a question for confirmation.

Judy looked at their clasped paws and ran a digit over his paw. “He’s so much more than that.” she whispered.

Skye nodded, her eyes darting across the floor as she continued. “One of Cronus’s goons threw him in the room with us. He was in really bad shape, and for a while it was hard for me or any of the other girls to determine if he was alive or not. I saw his blood pool grow up to his face and decided that he needed at least someone by his side for that moment. Someone who didn’t want him dead, or wasn’t afraid of him. I stepped up, covered his chest wound as best I could, and…” She raised and lowered an arm. “I got to talking to him a bit. He recognized my name from Dex’s missing mammal’s report he filed on me, and he identified himself as a cop.”

Judy looked back at the couple. “That’s right, that’s where I know you from. Dexter Robinson, the mammal who can’t be moved. He practically lived at the station, constantly asking for any updates.” she chuckled a little before her sadness overtook her once again.

“He told us girls that it wasn’t going to be too long now before help came, but before we could ask him anything else, the thug came back and took him away. Clipped the end of his tail off with the door, the bastard.” The corners of her muzzle flared and she bared her teeth for a moment before calming back down. “Nick rekindled hope in all of us, hope that we thought was gone with our dignity. Sure enough, the police came that very night, freed all of us. I finally got back with Dex…” She nuzzled his head in the crook of her neck happily. “But I couldn’t shake Nick out of my head. After all, he probably doesn’t realize it, but he stopped me from killing myself that night, and he gave me hope. Then I stopped by the hospital today with Dex to get my body tested for any diseases or anything else that might have happened to me from that place. That’s when I overheard one of the doctors mentioning Nick’s name somewhere on this floor. It doesn’t seem right for me to at least thank him in person.”

Dex poked his head from behind Skye. “She’s not the only one who wanted to thank him. I owe everything to him, even though we don’t particularly know each other. Thanks to him, I won’t have any more sleepless nights wondering where Skye is or what’s happening to her. He gave Skye back to me, and for that, I’m eternally grateful. I would have given my life for Skye to come back safe, and I’m both sorry that he beat me to it and truly indebted to him for risking his life for her. Nick Wilde is truly a hero, and no matter which way it goes, I swear I will find some way to really honor him. I know I don’t have much to give him or you right now to show how thankful I really am, but know that he won’t soon be forgotten.”

Different tears welled up in Judy’s eyes as he heard this. Tears of happiness. Ever since she met Nick, his heart only grew in size. He took on the role of police officer very seriously, despite his snarkiness and quick wit. He became more altruistic, never once expecting so much as a “thanks.” And sadly, a lot of the time, he didn’t, but that never bothered him. It came as such a relief to Judy that Nick’s work wasn’t going to go unnoticed. No matter how much the mayor tries to cover up his tracks, there’ll still be talk on the streets. And who knows? Maybe Nick will become an urban legend of his own as a warning to organized crime.

Slowly Skye approached the side of Nick’s bed, opposite to Judy. She leaned in close to him to give him a hug that came off as a little awkward. The vixen soon pulled away and planted a soft peck on Nick’s forehead, an action that would usually spark some semblance of anger or jealousy in Judy, but actually made her feel better under the circumstances.

“Thank you so much” She whispered. She looked like she wanted to say more, but it seemed as though her thoughts couldn’t be made into words and she backed away. Next, Dex walked to Nick’s side and set a paw on his shoulder, smiling wide and fighting a sob. “I owe you everything.” he said somewhat hushed, “Do me a favor and pull through so I can start paying you back, you hear?”

Nick’s mouth twitched subtly enough for only Judy to take notice. The corner of his muzzle tugged upward, almost forming his signature smirk. Judy’s face lit up for a moment, but as quickly as it came, it faded back to his expressionless demeanor.

Skye scribbled her phone number on a nearby pamphlet on diabetes and handed it to Judy. “Keep us posted? Please.”

Judy took the pamphlet and nodded, turning her attention back to Nick.

Dex stroked Nick’s shoulder and patted it twice before he backed away, wrapping an arm around Skye and leading her out of the room. Both turned around before exiting the hallway to wave goodbye, which Judy returned half-heartedly.

Judy’s attention returned to Nick, laying her head down against the firm bedding, paws still clenched around each other. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor got more and more hypnotic the darker it got outside, and she soon found herself in the realm of dreams.

*   *   *   

“Carrots?”

At first she only mumbled in her sleep at the sound of the strangely inviting voice, folding her ear over her eyes in a futile attempt at ignoring the source.

“Fluff?”

This time, her head jolted awake, her face beaming when she saw her partner finally awake and speaking. “Nick! Thank God you’re…”

Her smile quickly faded.

Nick started out smiling too, but his demeanor dissipated as his expression was replaced with one of shock. At first, Judy couldn’t figure out what got into Nick, why his stare was so vacant, or why he had stopped smiling. Then, she saw ruby red fluid dribble out of his mouth.

“Nick..?”

The dribbling only intensified until it resembled a restaurant awning on a rainy day. Judy’s eyes gravitated toward a red spot on Nick’s bandaged side. A red spot that was growing exponentially. Nick’s body started trembling and then convulsing as the heart rate monitor’s beeping accelerated drastically.

“Nick!” She cried out, throwing her hands up at his body in an attempt to calm him down. The red spot had taken over nearly the whole bandage and was now starting to bleed through to the bedding.

A doctor rushed in and quickly pried Judy from Nick’s convulsing being, his eye wide and wild. Before long, the doctor announced, “Something’s wrong. He’s going into shock!”

Two nurses came into the room shortly after. “We must’ve missed a bullet fragment. It’s headed to his heart!”

_A bullet? No. No no no no no no no no no no no no_. Judy’s mind gave way to a maelstrom of bitter emotions that can only be loosely described as shocking disbelief. She frantically rushed back towards Nick only for a third nurse to materialize behind her and drag her out of the room. She thrust her paws in front of her to grab something to bring her back, but her heart wrenched again at the sight of them.

Her paws were completely stained a deep crimson from Nick’s blood

She stared at her own paws as she was dragged away only to have her attention diverted back to Nick once she heard him  horribly screech “JUDY!!!”

The Nick that Judy saw was a complete nightmare. He wore a wicked snarl, his lips and teeth tainted with his own blood, his eye patch thrust to the floor as Nick’s eyes were replaced with dark empty eye sockets that glared menacingly at the rabbit. The heart rate monitor beeped abnormally fast.

“YOU DID THIS TO ME, JUDY!!!” He bellowed in an unusually demonic voice, pointing at the rabbit. “YOU DID THIS!!”

“No…” Judy whispered, barely audible. “I… I didn’t know…”

“YOU SHOT ME!” He boomed.

“No!” Judy screamed, grabbing her ears and forcing them over her head to drown out the voice. “No! Please! I didn’t mean to!”

“YOU KILLED ME, YOU BITCH! YOU KILLED ME!”

“Stop it! Please, just stop it!”

Suddenly, Judy was blinded by a flash of crimson, and then her world faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so concludes this particular installment! Thank you all for all the love and support you all have sent my way. I try to reply to everyone's comments, but I wish there were more I could do to show my appreciation!
> 
> Check out my tumblr which I hyperlinked on chapter 7 for more Zootopia trash I like and reblog semi-regularly. And don't be shy to send a message! Even if it's completely unrelated to what I do.
> 
> By my calculations, there should be one last chapter left, so stay tuned!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come for our little bunny to face the music

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You've reached the home stretch. Don't give up now :)

Judy’s body writhed violently next to Nick’s bed as she awoke, falling to the ground as her head thudded against the hard tile floor. She stayed lying there for a moment, chest heaving as a bitter cold sweat plagued her body, mainly because she was scared to face Nick again. The logical part of her brain convinced her that that instance of Nick was only a dream… no, a nightmare… but something in the back of her head kept her doubting.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the side of the chair and pulled herself back up to Nick’s side. His bandages were still white, seemingly untouched. The patch of gauze around his eye was still there. Judy heaved a sigh of relief. She never would have thought that seeing Nick like this would bring her comfort.

A quick glance outside confirmed that a new day had come. The sun shone through the window and cast light over Nick’s chest, the regular morning traffic was right on schedule outside on the road. As though nothing major had happened in the past few days. But that wasn’t the case for Judy.

Nick’s body hasn’t moved much since Judy came back to visit yesterday, the most being a smirk that may or may not have even happened. For a while, while Nick was on assignment, she was mad at him for suddenly completely locking her out of his life without a proper goodbye, determined to give him a piece of his mind for ignoring her. Now she felt extreme guilt for shooting him, even though part of her knew it wasn’t her fault, she still took responsibility for a sizeable part of his injuries. But above all else, she wanted her boyfriend/partner back after so long of being apart.

“Nick…” Judy choked, her body still trembling from before. “Nick, please come back to me. I don’t want me shooting you to be my last act to you on this world.” She gripped his paw again, sniffling the tears away before they could come. For a while then, she was silent.

Then, she crawled up to his bedside and sat, her paw still interlaced with his, wiping away at the tears that threatened to make themselves known. She ran her eyes over her partner once more before speaking again. “You know, things have been really boring since you left.” She chuckled dryly before continuing. “So much so that I’ve been imagining you in places even though I know you’re somewhere else. Places like even in the cubicle, the cruiser… even next to me in bed. I missed you, Nick. I missed our movie nights, ordering takeout, texting into the darkest hours of the night… This job hasn’t exactly been open to our relationship, but we made it work. It might not have exactly been something out of every romantic comedy ever… but I liked it all the same. It was awkward, it was imperfect, but that’s what made it feel so real… so… us.”

She scoffed and started to lean her head back into Nick’s lap, but stopped herself when she considered the extent of his injuries, and so sat back up. “You know, Bogo gave me paid vacation. However long it takes for you to recuperate, and two weeks on top of that. I’ll be right by your side, Nick. If you need physical therapy, I’ll be coaching you. If you need to get somewhere, you can lean on me as much as you need to. If you need to reach something up high… Well, I’ll figure out a way.”

“You always do, Fluff…” A familiar voice croaked weakly as she felt the grip tighten over her paw.

Instantly her ears perked up and her ears widened in shock as she turned her head wildly to face the figure in the bed. “Nick?!”

Nick’s uncovered eye opened tiredly, hints of emerald peeking under his eyelid. The corner of his lip was curled upwards into a smirk as he cleared his throat. “Hey, Carrots. You look well. I mean, save for the puffy bloodshot eyes and the thin stream of snot flowing from your nose”

Judy wrapped her arms around Nick’s chest and squeezed hard, purely out of instinct and relief, an action to which Nick responded by curling his body up and hissing in pain. “Argh! Judy! Ribs!”

Her arms released Nick as quickly as they enveloped him, along with a long stream of apologies. “Oh! Nick, I’m so sorry. I’m just…” Tears welled up in her eyes as she smiled wide. “I’m so glad you’re okay…”

Nick reached a paw up to Judy’s face and wiped her cheeks. “Were you really crying over me? Oh, you bunnies. So emotional…”

“You don’t get to give me that, Nick.” She suddenly snapped, pushing Nick’s hand away, desperately trying to vent her guilt in the form of misplaced anger. “You drop out of my life without a proper goodbye, lying to me as to where you’re really going, never answering any of my attempts to contact you. Which I can forgive, I’m familiar with how undercover work is done, especially one of this magnitude. But then you go and get yourself beaten up within an inch of your life! And shot, on top of that! And you shrug it off like it’s no big deal?” The tears were flowing faster now, like droplets of rain on the window of a speeding sedan. “I missed you, Nick! I missed everything we used to do together! And moments after the raid, when I’m finally close to you again, I might've had to let you go forever! I won’t stand for it!”

Nick lowered the hand that was wiping her cheeks and rested it on her own paw. “Carrots… Judy, look at me.”

She did.

“You have every right to feel the way you do. My only job while I was in there was to keep my nose clean, gather intel, and get out. But I got careless. Slipped up one little thing, and this is what it got me. And the whole time I was getting beaten up, you were the one thing I couldn’t stop thinking about. How you would take the news, if Bogo would even tell you the real story, what would happen to you after that… But even being able to breathe and see you again is truly a blessing. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth before hand, and I’m sorry I blocked you out all these months. And there’s so much more that I want to say that I just can’t put into words right now...”

Judy sighed defeatedly and shook her head before Nick could finish. “ No, _I’m_ sorry. I’m not mad at you, Nick.”

He blinked in response. “Oh. Are you sure, because I’ve had this rehearsed speech I’ve been running in my head since… however many nights it’s been.”

She nodded, her lips pursed as she fought tears.

“Oh. Then why the sudden outburst?”

Judy’s heart pounded in her chest. There was no turning back now. “Because I’m responsible for why you’re in here.”

Nick scoffed and looked at her incredulously. “Pfft. Carrots c’mon. What could you have possibly done when you didn’t even know I was even…”

“I shot you.” Judy interrupted, immediately avoiding his gaze

Nick was silent for a moment. “...What?”

Judy’s composure further cracked under the stress “I was the one behind the scope that night, I was the one that pulled the trigger.” She sniffed loudly as her voice cracked and tears began flowing from her eyes. “I-I hurt you again, Nick. Just like the press conference. Even after I promised I'd never hurt you again. Heck, I almost delivered the finishing blow that would take you away for good…”

There, Judy’s words failed her. Her mouth kept moving but no other sounds would come out, and she eventually stopped trying. For a while, Nick was silent, and it drove Judy crazy. He usually was a hard book to read, and this time was no different. Any moment, she expected Nick to show his disappointment, whether it be in the form of tears or rage. She wanted him to. Get mad, hit her, throw that day old muffin across the room, yell… but when Nick finally spoke, there was an aura of calmness to it that took Judy by surprise.

“What was it you said at my graduation?”

Judy blinked and looked at her partner, stunned and speechless.

“‘Try to make the world a better place,’ that was it, right?” Nick looked to Judy expectantly for a response, which came in the form of a simple nod.

“I took that to heart, Hopps, and I know you believe in that even more than I do. That's why I agreed to the undercover assignment in the first place, and it's why I don't regret doing it now. I helped take down one of Zootopia’s darkest crime organizations, the streets are a little safer because of that. And you played a huge part too Carrots. Without that shot, we’d have lost Cronus to the wind, and he'd just rebuild.”

“But… but I hurt you!” Judy exclaimed, tears flowing freely from her cheeks.

“Judy… “ Nick started, holding her paw in his free one.  “You didn't know it was me next to him, and it's not like I was your target in the first place. It's not your fault.”

“How!?” Judy sobbed. “How can you be so forgiving!? I almost killed you, Nick, intentional or not! Don't you realize that? How could I ever live with myself knowing that I was the one that took your life? My best friend! My partner! The fox I love!”

The last one stunned Nick, the fox that always had something witty in retaliation. “Wait… what?”

“Oh, don't act all surprised, Slick!” she snapped amidst her sobbing and sniffling. “For God sake, we're dating already! We've been dating for almost a year! You think I'd stay in it this long if I wasn't committed to what we have? If I wasn't serious about it? You already know I love you,  so don't you dare push my…  my attempt on your life aside like it was some botched lunch date!”

Nick closed his mouth and swallowed, He averted his gaze down towards the bedsheets before looking back at Judy with a stoic expression on his face. “You know, that was the first time anyone’s said they loved me.” he stated, wiping a tear from his good eye. “Since Mom, at least…”

Judy’s expression of anger and guilt faded, and one of shock took over as her ears flattened against her back. “Oh, Nick…  I thought you knew already?” she asked,  taking his paw in hers again.

“I hoped, I didn’t exactly know outright. But now...,” Nick replied quickly, clearing his throat as tears of his own filled his eyes. “It's just… so relieving to hear you actually say it…”

He brought her into a one-armed hug, careful not to strain his ribs. “I'm so forgiving about this because I know you didn't mean to hurt me, and I know you’d never purposely try and hurt me. I trust you, Judy. You have all you need to destroy me in your little paws right now. I forgive you for almost killing me because I love you too, Judy. And as long as you don't intentionally hurt me, as long as we’re both trying here… I’m staying.”

Judy laid her head gently against Nick's bandaged chest, sobbing softly as Nick's paw stroked her back. They remained that way, silent,  for several minutes, each engrossed in their own thoughts. Judy's thoughts gravitated toward the big heart Nick had that he never showed anyone else. He may act like nothing bothers him, like he doesn't care, but the fact is he cares a lot more than he lets on. And knowing now that a part of Nick's big heart was dedicated to her made her feel weightless, like she could soar endlessly through the sky, where nothing could hurt her.

For Nick, he realized that Judy was the only one who truly legitimately cared for him since his own mother. All his life since he was a cub, he made it a point to avoid making actual connections to other mammals, except for ones, like with Finnick, which were strictly professional. Even when he was seeing other vixens, he kept his distance out of fear that they would hurt him. And that was likely the cause of why those relationships never really worked out. He spent his whole teenage and adult life building up emotional barriers that a certain bunny vaporized within a few days after meeting. And best of all, she loved what the barriers were protecting: the real him, in all his glory. Not just the sarcastic, snarky, quick-witted fox that he showed everyone, but the same compassionate, innocent little kit that was left crying outside the troop hall for the Junior Ranger Scouts. She loved all of him, emotional scars and all. And the scarier, yet the most right thing about it was, he loved her too.

At last, Judy broke the silence. “Jeez, Nick, how many cheesy romantic movies did you have to watch to come up with that one?” she asked, smirking slightly.

“Only all the ones you made me watch on Movie night, Carrots.” Nick replied. “Oh, reminds me, I'm picking the next movie, capiche?”

Judy giggled. “Alright, Nick.”

“And for the record, I wanted to be the one to say ‘I love you’ first.”

“Gonna have to be faster than that if you want to be with a bunny, Wilde.”

Nick chuckled lightly before arcing his arm around Judy's back and gently tugging her chin to face him, smiling. “Better late than never. I love you, Judy.”

Judy giggled. “I love you too, Nick.”

Nick fumbled for pockets what weren't there, then the nightstand. “You have the carrot pen with you, by any chance?”

She playfully slapped his arm, smirking. “You won't need it. I'll be here to remind you whenever you need me to.”

Nick smirked, sighing happily. “Clever bunny.”

“Dumb, sweet fox.”

Judy leaned in closer to Nick's face, eyes closed and lips puckered. Nick,  as though on instinct,  followed suit and gently pressed his lips to hers. And when they did, passion erupted between them. Nick's arm scooped around Judy's body as Judy brought both hands up to Nick's head to pull him closer to her as she sampled his lips over and over again.  They sandwiched each other's lips together and gently pulled apart only to pull back into each other again. Nick's tail trembled excitedly under the bed, the cast restricting it from  a full wag, the pain dulled by sheer ecstasy. His heart rate monitor beeped faster and faster as though he had ran a full marathon in record time, which actually alarmed a nearby doctor as she burst into the room. Her expression morphed from worry to slight smugness as she crept out the room, gently closing the door behind her.

At last,  the pair pulled away from each other reluctantly and gazed into each other's eyes, then leaned closer and placed their foreheads together. Neither said anything simply because there was nothing to say. Everything that needed to be said had been said, and what went unsaid would only have been soured if tried to be put into words. Nick felt rejuvenated, despite his broken body,  and Judy still felt so weightless she clung to Nick as though scared she would float away.

With a moment of slight of hand, Judy brandished her Carrot smartphone to check the time, then unlocked it and promptly connected to the hospital WiFi.

Nick watched, his head tilted slightly. “Expecting a phone call?”

Judy looked back up at Nick from her screen. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“It's been a long time, and you’ve been out for a few days. I won't blame you.” She turned her attention back to her phone as scrolled the apps on her phone.

“Know what?” Nick repeated as Judy pulled earbuds from her pocket and plugged them in.

“It's Thursday, Nick.” Judy stated, tapping the Netflynx application on her phone, reaching up to plug in one of the earbuds in Nick's ear.

Nick closed his eyes and sighed happily. “Movie night.” he realized. “Well, give or take a few hours.”

“I don’t care. I’ve waited for another one of these for months.” Judy chirped. “And you got a lot to catch up on!”

“Well, I'm not going anywhere. Spin it!” Nick joked, chuckling.

“That's for deejays, Nick.” Judy giggled, scrolling through the movies and TV shows. “Not… whoever the equivalent is in the movie world.”

Nick returned her laughter before frowning. “Carrots! What do you think you're doing?”

Judy stopped and looked up into Nick's good eye. “What? What is it?”

Nick brought a digit down to her phone and scrolled, smirking.

“I pick the movie this time, remember?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That marks the end of that. If all went according to plan, you enjoyed reading this little adventure as much as I had writing it! Don't worry though, I'm working on another submission for (Working Title) while I'm trying to think up of something more long term. It's gonna be pretty angsty, but I think at least some of you guys love that >:)
> 
> As usual, visit my tumblr, hyperlinked on chapter 7, as I'm too lazy to do it again on here, don't be shy to open up communication with me. I'll do my best to make you feel welcome!
> 
> And last but certainly not least, thank you all so much for the love and support you have given me as I write these stories for you all. I know I'm not saying anything you probably haven't heard before, but it really means leagues more than you can possibly know. So, if you're reading this fat, you've just received an internet hug along with a nice goodie bag filled with internet cookies! Thank you all so much again, and I hope to see you in my next adventure!


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